Scarred and Broken
by Azurai Anima
Summary: Alear is the last wolf faunus known to exist. He was once a proud member of the White Fang, an organization fighting for faunus rights. But one day he is betrayed and left to die. He is found bleeding out by Ozpin and taken to Beacon Academy, where he is offered the chance to turn his life around. Will he take the offer or will he obsess over revenge? One girl may help him decide.
1. Prologue

**Scarred and Broken (Prologue)**

**This is my first fan fiction I have written and plan to write many chapters. Please feel free to give constructive criticism. I welcome any advice that will help me hone my writing skills. Sorry for the short beginning but I felt the ending was appropriate. I plan to make future chapters a lot longer. Enjoy!**

Alear lay bleeding on the forest floor. The sword wound to his chest was pouring profusely, causing his body to go numb from blood loss. A cool breeze blew through the trees, lightly caressing his face.

_"Damn that bastard! I cannot believe I just let him do this to me. How could I have been so blind?!" _His breathing was ragged, barely giving him enough air to survive. He looked to the sky. The shattered moon rested above him, glowing mystically in the night. "_I always thought my death would be at my own hand, not my so-called friend's." _He grimaced. _"Why Adam? What caused you to descend into the darkness that now envelops your heart?" _He knew he wouldn't get an answer, but that didn't stop him from thinking it anyway. "_Things could have been different. Maybe I could have stopped him from turning the White Fang into common murderers." _He looked to his now broken weapon, resting next to him. His own blood was smeared on the blade. "_Heh, who am I kidding. He was always a monster; I was just too blind to see it. I thought he was my friend. I thought he cared about our cause, but he just used me for my power until he no longer found me useful. Then he disposed of me like a worthless animal, ironic considering what he is supposed to stand for."_

He heard footsteps coming toward him, twigs breaking underfoot. He couldn't think who would come to him now. Surely Adam wasn't returning. There was no point in finishing him off. He would bleed out soon enough. The footsteps came closer and he now recognized it as at least two people. He was too weak now to move his head anymore. He was resigned to his fate and did not much care who it was anyway. The strangers stopped in front of him. One knelt down and put their fingers to my neck.

"He still has a pulse, but it's very weak," said the kneeling stranger. It was definitely a woman.

"Well then, I suggest we hurry him back to Beacon," said the other stranger. This one was a man. Alear heard what sounding like the stranger drinking something. "Would you mind carrying him with your glyphs?" He asked the woman. There was what sounded like a sigh.

"If I must," she replied.

Alear's lost consciousness soon after that, waiting for death's embrace, not knowing of what the future had in store for him.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I originally was going to wait a little bit longer to write another chapter. I wanted to see if anyone would be interested in the plot idea, but I decided to write another one while the ideas were still fresh in my mind. Hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

Alear awoke in an unfamiliar room. The bright lights stung his eyes. He started to sit up but was quickly forced to lay back down when a jolt of pain shot throughout his body. He lowered the blanket with a grunt. His entire torso was covered in bandages. A nearby nurse noticed he was awake and ran off without a word.

_"Looks like someone took pity on me," _Alear thought to himself. He waited several minutes in silence, pondering the events that took place the last time he was conscious.

His friend and leader, Adam Taurus, had taken him to the Emerald Forest to investigate a possible source of dust. The White Fang and a mysterious new benefactor had begun acquiring it in large quantities.

He should have suspected what was going to happen. Adam had asked for him personally to join him on a scout mission. It was just the two of them. That alone should have been enough to tip him off. What a fool he had been.

Adam and Alear had walked a short distance from the helicopter when Alear felt a sharp kick to his side. He fell to the ground with a grunt, landing on his side.

"What are you-"Alear started to say before getting interrupted by a kick to the jaw. He could taste blood as it trickled down his mouth. Adam ripped his weapon from his side and sliced the sword in half with his own weapon, Wilt and Blush.

He raised his hand to attack Adam with semblance but Adam was prepared for this. He plunged the severed blade from Alear's sword into his chest, missing his heart by a little less than an inch. The sudden impact threw off the concentration of aura before Alear could use it. Adam then dragged the blade diagonally across Alear's chest. His eyes went wide as the pain started to register. Blood poured from the wound like a waterfall as Adam threw the shattered weapon aside. Alear looked up to Adam with eyes full of hate.

"Looks like this is the last of the wolf Faunus," Adam smirked. "Their existence ends with you, mongrel." Adam then launched his blood red aura inside the chest wound. Alear cried out in pain as his insides seemed to be burning. "Pathetic." Adam ceased his assault after what seemed like forever to Alear.

Satisfied that he had sufficiently tortured him, Adam walked back to the airship. Alear watched him as boarded the vessel. Neo was next to him, looking at Alear with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Even you were in on this, Neo?" Alear muttered before blacking out from the shock of his chest being split open.

**-Present Day-**

He now waited in a hospital bed, presumably waiting for the nurse to return with whoever was in charge of this place. He wished he had not been saved. He had been betrayed by everyone that he ever cared about and no longer had a purpose in life. Alear sighed and ran his hand through his long, dark-brown hair. It was long and disheveled, falling a little lower than his jade-green eyes. The back of his hair came down to the end of his neck.

"Sleep well?"

Alear jumped from surprise.

"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you," The owner of the voice was a man with pale white hair with a coffee mug in one hand. He walked casually toward Alear and stopped at the end of the bed, sipping from his mug. "You've been in a coma for several months. Whoever attacked you was serious about killing you. We almost couldn't help you."

"Why DID you help me? I would have preferred to have died," Alear muttered.

"Hmm? That's odd. Most people are thankful when someone saves their life." The man's eyebrow raised in curiosity. His glasses hung low on his face.

"Well I'm not most people." Alear carefully stood up and stretched. He was only wearing light blue sweatpants, probably supplied by the hospital. The man took another sip from his drink.

"I see. Then I think you will fit in perfectly at my school, if you accept my invitation."

"Your school? Why would I want to attend your school?" The disdain in his voice was obvious.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Professor Ozpin. I'm the headmaster of Beacon Academy, a school dedicated to training the huntsman and huntresses of the future. I understand that you are quite the capable fighter, and I would like you to attend my school and become a huntsman; to dedicate your life to fighting Grimm and protecting people. Not a bad way to live your life is it?"

Alear scoffed. "What makes you think you know the first thing about me or what I want to do with my life?"

Ozpin cleared his throat. "You can come in now, Miss Belladonna."

"Blake?!" exclaimed Alear as the cat Faunus walked through the door. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were with the White Fang?"

"I left after I realized how ruthless they had become. They were murdering innocents, humans and Faunus. Even their own members weren't safe." Blake looked me in the eyes. "But I'm sure you are familiar with that much."

Alear crossed his arms. "So why are you here then?"

Blake sighed. "To become a huntress. I want to do some good with my life and if I become a huntress then it would be my job to do good, right? There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption... Someone has to stop it_._"

Alear cracked a small smile. "I knew there was a reason I liked working with you." He looked back and forth between Ozpin and Blake. "Can you vouch for this place?"

"I can. It trains its students well. You will not be disappointed." Blake was confident with her words.

Alear thought for a moment, and then looked Ozpin in the eye. "Well then you've got yourself a deal Ozpin. If Blake says your school is alright then I'm in, for now." Ozpin and I shook hands and nodded in agreement.

Ozpin smiled and sipped from his mug. "You'll be given a room next to Miss Belladonna and her team. You'll find that you have the same schedules. If you have any questions regarding Beacon, I'm sure they can help you. If not, I'm always willing to talk to students in my office."

Alear nodded.

"Good day students." Ozpin left the room as casually as he entered.

Alear turned to Blake. "He's a strange one isn't he?"

Blake flashed one of her rare smiles and nodded. "Come on, I'll show you to your room. Ozpin already had it prepared."

"Already?"

"I guess he figured you would be attending Beacon one way or another," Blake said with a shrug. She led the way through the hallways of the academy. It was a pretty nice place, especially when you compare it to the kind of place Alear grew up in. It did seem a little empty though; Alear figured it had to be the weekend. That was probably a good thing considering he only had the sweatpants to wear at the moment. He didn't want his first impression at the school to be the kid with no clothes on. It would be hard enough to fit in just being a Faunus.

"So do people know you're a Faunus, Blake?" Alear asked as they made their way to the dorms. "Or are you still hiding behind your little black bow?"

Blake was slightly amused. "A few of my close friends know, but no it's not public knowledge and I would prefer if it stayed that way."

Alear nodded. "I would prefer that as well, if possible. I'm able to hide my wolf ears in my hair, so I should be fine."

Blake chuckled. "I won't tell if you won't."

He smiled. He had missed her unique personality.

"We're almost there," stated Blake. "I suggest you hurry into your room to change before meeting my team."

Alear yawned. "Yea, yea. I'll get right on it, mom."

Blake narrowed her eyes at his joke. "You know, you've been out of action for months. Add to that the fact that you don't have a weapon, and I could easily strike you down."

"Heh, I must admit I don't relish the idea of taking you on." He rubbed the back of his neck. "So do you know what happened to my weapon then?"

"It was delivered to your room in the condition they found it," Blake explained. "They didn't want to risk damaging it any further, seeing as they weren't sure how it worked."

Alear made an audible groan. "It's going to take forever to repair the damage that bastard did to my baby."

"What happened anyway?"

"He sliced right through it, and then used it rip me open," Alear said, gesturing toward his now maimed torso. "I plan to pay him back in full for that insult." His voice was laced with malice. Blake was a little more than concerned, but decided not to say anything.

Blake suddenly stopped. "We're here. This is my room." She pointed to one of the many doors in the hallway. "Yours is the next door down." He nodded and took his leave. "Don't forget, my team wants to meet you. We'll be over shortly."

"Gotcha," he replied. "Just come on in whenever, I'm going to check out my new living arrangements."

**-Team RWBY's Room-**

"BLAKE!" yelled the cat Faunus's excited teammates. They all rushed her as she shut the door to their cramped dorm room. They were all excited to hear about Blake's friend from her past. She hadn't told her team much about herself, thus they always try to learn as much as possible about their mysterious teammate.

Ruby, their leader, was the most eager and immediately bombarded her with questions. "Blake! Where's your friend, who are they, what are they like, are they a Faunus too-"

"Ruby! One at a time, please." Blake was already overwhelmed, and it had only just begun. "He's in the next room; you'll meet him soon. Just give him a few minutes to get dressed and check out his new room."

Yang's eyes twinkled at that remark. "Get dressed, huh? What were you two doing before we got here?" Yang's face had grown a mischievous smile. "Were you making kittens?" She said with a wink.

Blake's face grew almost as red as Ruby's cloak. "Of course not! We don't think of each other that way!" Yang's smug look was really starting it irritate her.

Yang was could really get used to teasing Blake. "C'mon! Let's go!"

"I would like to meet him as well," Weiss chimed in. "As long as he's not a ruffian."

"I just hope he has a cool weapon," Ruby said with starry vision.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You and your weapon obsession."

Ruby swooned and caressed her scythe. "Do you think he'll want to compare with Crescent Rose?"

Yang smiled sweetly at her little sister, and then ruffled her hair affectionately. "Maybe if you're nice."

Blake looked at the clock. "He should be done by now. Let's head over."

Team RWBY opened their door to find the members of Team JNPR all piled against Alear's door, their ears firmly planted against the wood.

Weiss look appalled. "What are you-"

"Shhhhh!" replied Nora.

"Why are you eavesdropping?" said the heiress, her brow furrowing.

Nora giggled. "We saw Blake walking next to a guy only wearing sweatpants and thought we would investigate her passionate love affair." She said the last part with delight.

Yang pointed her finger at Blake. "I knew it!"

Blake's face flushed again. "Oh shut it!" She stomped past everyone and opened the door. Everyone peered in from behind her.

Alear stood with his back to them. He now wore midnight blue pants and had removed the bandages from his chest. His back was covered with what looked like an intricate glyph, tattooed in black ink. Weiss was astounded by the detail. Ruby blushed, while Yang admired his toned body. Blake was uninterested, as she had seen him like this many times during their work with the White Fang. Team JNPR stared with wide eyes. They hadn't been able to see the glyph earlier due to the bandages.

He slid on a jacket over his bare chest.

"Alear?" Blake said, uncertain of whether he had noticed them. He turned.

"Yea, sorry. I was just inspecting the damage." He opened the jacket, exposing his scarred chest. "Look what that prick did to me." There was a long, white scar running across his torso. The others cringed at the sight.

"Damn dude, that's a wicked scar," said Yang. "You had to of seriously pissed somebody off for them to do that."

Alear smiled grimly. "Not exactly."

"Yang!" exclaimed a little, red-hooded girl. "You're being rude!"

Alear chuckled. "It's fine, don't worry about it Ms…?"

"Rose, Ruby Rose." Her face blushed lightly.

Alear smiled to himself. _Maybe this place won't be so bad._


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I've been sick lately so chapters might be coming out a little slow. Anyway ill shut up now, enjoy chapter 2!**

**-2 weeks later, Beacon training grounds-**

Alear, Ruby, and Blake sat in the stands, observing the sparring match before them. The ice queen was fighting the blonde berserker.

Weiss raised her rapier and dashed forward. Yang simply took the hit, her semblance allowing her to take such risks. The damage only made her stronger. Yang grabbed Weiss' arm, before she could recover from striking, and unloaded one of her gauntlets into the heiress's stomach. The resulting blast sent Weiss spiraling upwards. Her aura had taken most of the hit, but she was still left winded.

Weiss regained her balance mid-air, and starting summoning glyphs. One appeared behind the white warrior, while multiple more materialized around Yang. Weiss launched herself off the glyph behind her and bounced between the many glyphs surrounding Yang, striking her several times in the process.

Yang was knocked to her knees. Weiss leaped back, and then stabbed forward with her rapier. Yang's head sprung up, her eyes a deep red. Her hair seemed to burn a brilliant gold. She yelled and slammed the ground beneath her with a fiery fist. The sheer force behind her blow sent the heiress flying backwards while Yang chased after her, determined to be the winner of the fight. Weiss's aura was dangerously close to being in the red. Yang's was barely in the yellow.

Weiss stopped herself with a glyph and threw up an ice wall in a last-ditch effort to stop Yang. The brawler ran full sprint at the wall and smashed through it with her gauntlets, fueled by her berserker rage. Weiss no longer had the strength to resist and was crushed by one last strike to the head. She collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. Her aura now dipped into the red. The match was over, Yang had won.

Alear looked to Ruby. "She's probably fine, but go check out Yang's injuries. I'm going to make sure Weiss is okay."

Ruby saluted. "Aye aye, captain!"

Alear sighed. "What did I tell you about calling me that?" Ruby smiled and ran off to join her sister. Blake was chuckling to herself.

"What are you laughing at, kitty cat?" asked the wolf Faunus.

Blake's amber eyes twinkled with amusement. "Ruby really seems to have taken a liking to you, puppy dog," she retorted.

"She probably just wants to see my weapon."

"You still haven't showed her?" Blake asked, slightly surprised.

Alear shrugged. "I just completed the maintenance and repairs recently. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an heiress to check on." He walked away with a bow.

Alear approached the heiress slowly, unsure of how he should react to the Schnee heiress. He hated her family, mostly her father, but he didn't think that mattered now. She didn't seem so bad anyway. He extended his hand to help Weiss up.

She looked up at him cautiously, unaccustomed to kindness from others.

"Are you going to stare at me all day?" Alear asked jokingly. "Or let me help you?"

Weiss hesitantly accepted his hand, half expecting him to recede his offer of help.

Alear inspected her injuries. Her aura wasn't enough to heal them all quickly, especially not the last blow to her head. "Dang, she really packs a punch doesn't she?" He smiled as she scowled at him. "Here, hold still. I can help with that." She looked away with a frown on her face. She clearly didn't like being tended to. She preferred to stand on her own. "Oh relax, Ice Queen. It will only take a second." Alear placed his hand over the heiress's face, hovering just above it without touching, and began pouring his aura into her. His body was immersed in green as he began healing Weiss's injuries.

She recoiled at first. The strange, new feeling caught her off guard. But she quickly relaxed as she realized what he was doing felt good.

Alear's forehead grew beads of sweat as he concentrated. This continued for about a minute, with the rest of team RWBY watching in fascination. Finally it was done and Alear pulled back, the light of his aura fading from around him. He plopped down on the ground; his breathing was a little heavier than usual.

Weiss looked a little disappointed when the feeling faded. "What did you just do?"

He shrugged in response. "Just a little something I learn a few years back. I poured my aura into your body to boost your own aura's recovery speed."

Weiss look impressed. "That's amazing; I never knew that was possible."

Alear chuckled at her. "Never thought I'd be getting a compliment from a Schnee."

This statement caused Weiss great confusion. "What do you mean?"

Alear froze, realizing what he had said. "_Ah shit, I forgot that she doesn't about my past, or me being a Faunus. This could turn ugly real quick if she found out I used to be in the White Fang. I need to say something, and fast."_

"Um…I just never thought I would receive praise from someone from such a respected family." Blake overheard me from the stands and was struggling not to burst out laughing. Alear glared daggers at his feline friend.

Weiss could tell he was hiding something, but decided not to press the issue. "Well then. Thank you for your assistance."

Blake came over to him while Weiss walked away, taking Ruby with her. It was only natural to assume Yang had left with them. Blake's face showed she was still struggling with the urge to giggle.

"Not a word," warned Alear.

"Oh yeah?" Blake replied. "Or what, puppy?"

Alear pulled Blake down to the ground with him, and pinned her to the ground. Blake fought free and the two proceeded to wrestle like they used to during their childhood.

They had known each other since they were twelve; the White Fang having recruited Alear after liberating a Faunus labor camp run by the Schnee family.

**-Several years ago, a few months after Alear's recruitment-**

Alear walked, exhausted, through the midday sun. The White Fang had commandeered an abandoned warehouse, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. A forest surrounded it. He and Adam had just finished one of their schedule training sessions, and the bull Faunus wasn't one to take it easy on him. Alear's arms were covered with bruises.

"Can't he learn to hold back?" Alear complained to himself. "Just a little would be nice."

"Oh don't be such a baby." The voice startled him. He whipped around, his wolf ears twitching, as a girl about his age stepped out from behind a tree. She had shoulder length black hair with little cat ears protruding from her head. She wore a lavender shirt and black pants, with a black scarf wrapped around her neck. Alear thought her amber eyes were beautiful.

He blushed as she approached him. He quickly shook it off. "Who are you? And why were you hiding?"

She raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "Hiding? I was napping and you so rudely interrupted it."

"You were taking…a cat nap?" He giggled at his horrible pun while the girl groaned.

"Is that how act around someone you just met? Bad puns make for horrible first impressions. The name is Blake by the way."

He grinned at her as they sat under the tree she emerged from. "My name's Alear. No offense, but why are you talking to me? Most of the kids try to avoid me if possible."

Blake's cat ears twitched. "Well I'm not most kids, and they're probably avoiding you because of your heritage. People, even Faunus it seems, tend to not like those that are different. Considering you're the last of your kind, that would make stick out."

"Heh, and here I thought it was because I'm a former slave. Figures it'd be my ears." He wiggled his ears as he said this.

She did her best to hide a budding smile. "I actually like them."

Alear couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of their situation. "Aren't cats supposed to not like dogs?"

"Maybe, but I'm not one for stereotypes." She yawned, making a sound Alear found adorable.

"Guess I'm not either," said Alear, stretching. He stared at her cat ears and found he could no longer resist the urge. He was about to make a bold move.

He reached out and started to scratch behind her ears. She immediately started purring. "Aha! I knew that would work." She glared at him lazily, not able to resist the feeling. She had laid her head on his lap at this point. The wind blew gently against them.

Alear started to pet her ears, causing more purring from the cat Faunus. "I think we're going to be great friends," he declared.

"I hate you," she muttered between purrs. Alear couldn't contain his laughter at her comment. The two youths spent the rest of the day relaxing under that tree, enjoying their new-found companionship.

**-Back to the present-**

The two Faunus had tired themselves out. Blake now lay on top of him; she had been victorious this time. They were both panting heavily.

"You've gotten rusty, Puppy Dog," Blake said through sharp breathes. "That was hardly a challenge."

"Says the Kitty Cat who's panting like she's in heat," Alear chuckled. Blake blushed.

Yang suddenly appeared. "My, my. That sure was an interesting "sparring" match."

Blake and Alear scrambled off each other in a hurry. "I-It's not what it looks like Yang," Blake stuttered out, embarrassment causing her face to grow even redder.

"I can't wait to tell Nora about this!" Yang exclaimed as she ran off to tell the others. Blake chased after her, yelling at the brawler the entire way.

Alear smiled as they ran off. "_I'm glad she was able to find such good friends here. The White Fang wasn't exactly the best place to have good relationships," _Alear thought, thinking of Neo. Adam's betrayal pissed him off sure, but Neo's left a stinging wound on his heart. They had been close, dating in fact, and then she just cast him away like he was worthless. Needless to say, they were no longer together. The more he thought about it, the less it seemed like she actually cared about him. "_She was probably just ordered to get close to me."_ Alear sighed and made his way back to his room. He could hear laughter as he passed team RWBY's room, but decided not to intrude.

He entered his room, keeping the light off, and walked over to the table he had set up in the middle of the room. His now finished weapon lay there. He had finished it the day before but decided not to tell anyone, save Blake.

His weapon was a lightweight, compact, high impact sniper rifle made of a midnight green colored metal. It could be extended and pulled apart to transform into a double-edged long sword, which he held in his right hand, and a curved, single-edged short sword, which he held inverted in his left hand to parry and deflect enemy attacks. The blades of these two swords were made of the same metal as the sniper. They both had black hilts and cross-guards with Alear's symbol etched in green on the hilts. His symbol consisted of two lightning bolts, both arcing in opposite directions of each other, with the top half of a diamond shape at the top of the arc and a bottom half of a diamond shape at the bottom of the arc. A horizontal line rested in the middle of the arcs.

His weapon was currently in its swords form, both sheathed. The scabbard for both of the swords also had his symbol on them. Alear opened his closet and donned his combat/casual attire. This consisted of two tone, black and green pants, black combat boots, and a long-sleeved, v-neck, black shirt. The sleeves he rolled up to his elbows. The chest of the shirt was covered in metal armor colored a dark green similar to his weapon. His shoulders and arms, down to his elbows, were also armored. He also wore black, fingerless gloves and a black and green jacket over his shirt. He rolled his pant legs over the tops of his boots.

He usually carried his weapon in sniper form, folding it up so it fit on his lower back, but this time he decided to carry the two swords on his belt.

Suddenly the light turned on. Jaune of team JNPR stood there gawking. "Oh, uh sorry. I didn't think you'd be in the dark.

Alear grinned slyly at him. "It's alright dude, no worries. What did you need?" He rested his hand on the hilt of his long sword.

Jaune looked slightly intimidated by Alear's appearance. "Um…Ruby and the others found someone wandering around the halls earlier. She said this person was looking for you."

Alear's eyes narrowed.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well uh, my team and Ruby's team are in their room with the stranger now if you want to head over."

Alear relaxed his eyes and nodded. "Lead the way."

They entered the now cramped dorm, and Alear's vision immediately honed in on the stranger. She sat in the middle of the room with everyone in front of her in a half-circle. She had multi-colored hair, half blue and half pink. Her eyes were like her half, one pink and one blue. She wore a dark blue petticoat jacket with pink leggings underneath. White boots covered her feet. Alear recognized her immediately.

His face grew dark as he slowly drew the short sword from its scabbard. Blake heard the sound of metal being drawn and looked to the wolf Faunus. "Alear, don't," she said calmly. He struggled with the decision for a moment, and then sheathed his weapon before anyone else noticed.

Upon hearing his name, everyone turned to Alear, including the new girl. She smiled at him, her eyes switching colors. It was one of her favorite tricks, much like Neo.

Alear crossed his arms and stared the new girl down with a blank face. "Why is she here Blake?"

"According to what she's told us, she came here to find you. Ozpin agreed to admit her to Beacon on the condition that you be her handler," Blake explained.

"He does know she's White Fang doesn't he?" Alear stated.

Weiss scowled and sighed. "Another one? Great."

"Yes, but he's overlooked that. She claims to have left them for good, and to be honest I think she's being sincere." Blake's amber eyes peered into Alear's jade eyes as she said this.

"I can speak for myself you know," said the new girl, finally chiming in.

Alear was growing impatient. "Nix, look at me." She complied. "Answer me truthfully." She nodded. "Did you have anything to do with the betrayal?"

Nix turned her head curiously. "You think little old me had something to do with that?" She smiled mysteriously.

"Just answer the question."

Her smile faded. "No, I didn't. Very few people outside of Adam and my sister knew about it. Adam told everyone that you had collaborated with the enemy and therefore had to be put down," Nix explained in a serious tone. "No one argued, but I knew something wasn't right. So I left soon after. My sister wouldn't tell me anything. She just grew this blank expression every time I brought it up."

Everyone in the room observed the conversation in silence, but Weiss couldn't take the confusion it was causing. "Okay hold on!" she exclaimed. "Somebody explain what those two are talking about. What betrayal? How do you know this girl? And how did you know she was with the White Fang?"

Blake and Alear exchanged worried looks.

Unfortunately Nix spoke up before either of the two could say something. "That's simple, he used to be a member."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Why hello there stranger. Come here often? O-Oh…you don't? Well then…Anyways hey guys. I'm doing my best to put these out in a timely fashion. I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet, but hopefully it's not terrible. I appreciate all the reviews. I hope you enjoy chapter 3!**

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Nix, glancing back and forth between Alear and her.

Blake had to say something. "Weiss please-"

"Shut up, Blake," Weiss said as she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "When were you planning on enlightening the rest of us Alear?"

He shrugged. "To be honest, I thought knowing that I knew Blake would be good enough. Doesn't look that way anymore now, does it?"

"No it doesn't," answered Weiss with obvious irritation. "If you expect us to trust you, especially me, you need to start talking."

Alear glanced at Blake and she shrugged, unsure of what he should do herself. "What do you want to know?" He said after a moment of thought. He immediately regretted it.

"Everything," demanded the Schnee heiress. "Start from the beginning and make your way forward."

"Now hold on a minute!" exclaimed Blake. "It's a bit much to make him tell us his life story don't you think?"

Weiss glared at her. "Under normal circumstances, yes. But he was part of an organization that's currently waging a full-blown war on my family, so I think it's appropriate in this situation."

Blake was about to argue further when Alear cut her off. "It's alright Blake. If this is what she needs in order to trust me, then so be it." He took a seat on Blake's bed. Blake sat next to him while the team JNPR and the rest of RWBY sat on the floor in front of them. Nix sat with the others as well, eager to hear how he will tell his tale.

Alear sighed and averted his gaze as he let his wolf ears unfold, no longer being hidden by his hair. They now pointed straight up. He was, like Blake at first, afraid of how everyone would react. He couldn't meet anyone's gaze. Blake placed her hand over his in an attempt to comfort him.

There was collective gasp from the room, something he figured would happen. Alear didn't really expect them to hate him for being a Faunus, but being ashamed of his heritage was ingrained into him at the labor camp.

Ruby and Nora suddenly beamed at him. "Oh my god... their… so… CUTE!" they yelled in unison. Nora proceeded to try and touch them while Ren held her back.

"Calm down, Nora," stated the usually quiet teenager. "It's rude to touch something without permission." Alear nodded his thanks.

Nix noticed Ruby sneaking up behind Alear while all this was happening, but decided not to say anything. The little red head was about to amuse her greatly after all.

Ruby threw herself against Alear's back and starting playing vigorously with his wolf ears. "They're so FLUFFY!" she exclaimed, clearly a little too excited. Much like Blake, he couldn't control the sounds he made when someone rubbed his ears. He closed his eyes and starting lightly groaning as the red-hooded teen scratched his ears.

"Aw! No fair! No fair!" yelled Nora.

Blake did her best to get Ruby off of him, but Yang quickly attacked her, removing her bow and starting to scratch her own animal ears. Now Blake too was immobilized. Both of the Faunus rolled on their stomachs next to each other on Blake's bed, while the two sisters continued their diabolical attack.

"Ruby, stop acting like a child!" scolded Weiss. "He needs to be able to talk."

Ruby pouted a little and then lightened up her rubbing enough for Alear to speak clearly. She refused to entirely stop though.

"Anyway…" started Alear. "as you can see, I'm a wolf Faunus."

"A wolf? I don't see very many of your kind," said Jaune's partner, speaking up for the first time.

"That's because there aren't any others," said Alear flatly.

Pyrrha was confused. "What do you mean there aren't any others? What about your parents?"

Alear sighed. "I haven't seen my mother since I was six, and the last place I saw her…well let's just say it's a less than pleasant location. I can only assume she's dead."

"But you don't know for sure," cut in Ruby. "She could still be out there."

Alear smiled grimly up at her. "If you saw the kind of place we were at, you wouldn't be so optimistic."

Weiss lost her patience. "Then why don't you tell us."

"I was getting there," replied Alear. "I was born into a Faunus labor camp. Hundreds of Faunus slaves were forced to mine dust, all day and night. The guards worked us until we either dropped dead from exhaustion or were sold to another camp. Food was scarce and fights were common." Everyone looked at him with sad eyes. "I'll let you guys figure out whose family ran these camps." Alear looked at Weiss as he said this. She looked like she was ready to tear someone's throat out. She knew her father was a terrible person, but she never wanted to accept he was capable of brutality on such a scale.

She took a deep breath and calmed down. "You said you were separated when you were six." Alear nodded. "What happened?"

Alear's eye became distant. "To answer that, you'll need to know about dear old dad." He bit his lip absent-mindedly. "Being the last of my kind…was supposed to be my mother's burden. She was adamant about not placing that kind of grief on her child. Unfortunately, the overseer at our particular camp had different plans."

Pyrrha gasped. Ruby was about to cry. Even Ren, who was usually emotionless, looked depressed. Nora was hugging him, teary-eyed.

"The overseer…" started Jaune. "He…"

"Yes," answered Alear. "He forced himself on my mother and thus I was conceived." He grinned weakly and switched to sitting cross-legged. "After I was born, my mother did whatever he asked, just to make sure I was safe from his grasp." Blake had never heard this part of Alear's life. It broke her heart to hear about everything he's been through. She could somewhat relate and couldn't help but wrap her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder.

_"Oh?"_ thought Nix. "_When did those two get so close?"_

Yang was now coddling Ruby in the corner of the bed.

Alear resumed speaking. "When I turned six, he decided my presence was an annoyance and sent me off to another camp. That was the last time I ever saw her."

"What then?" asked Weiss, starting to become emotionally invested in the story. It was definitely a first for the normally cold and secluded heiress.

"I was a slave for another six years, until one day the White Fang came and liberated the camp. All the Faunus there were given a choice. They were free to leave if they wanted, but we were also offered the chance to join them and make a difference for our people. Most of us joined. After experiencing the oppression for so long, I think most just wanted revenge."

"Did you want revenge?" Weiss asked calmly.

"Honestly?" Alear asked. Weiss nodded. "At first, hell yeah. I wanted to march back to the camp where my mother was and rip that overseer's heart out in front him. I wanted to storm the Schnee estate and burn it to the ground for what your father put us through." Weiss's expression become like that of a sad puppy, while everyone else was shocked at the savage picture he had painted. "Hey, look at me, Ice Queen." After a moment's hesitation she complied. "I'm not like how the White Fang is today. I would never hurt innocents to satisfy my own desires. Sure I hate your father, but I don't blame you or any other member of the Schnee family."

Weiss sniffled, trying to hold in her emotions. "If my father did all that, what would you do if you met him?"

"I would bring him to justice; bring to light all the terrible deeds he's committed. I'm not going to lie, I do have an urge to kill your father. It's only natural after all I've suffered at his hands, but I'd rather see him disgraced. I know this is hard for you to hear, and I'm sorry."

Nix was shocked at his words to say the least. Here was a former Faunus slave apologizing to a member of the family that enslaved him._ "Alear, you're a strange one."_

A single tear ran down the heiress's face. Alear untangled himself from Blake and wiped it gently away.

She realized what she was doing and quickly recomposed herself. "I know my father does terrible things to Faunus, but hearing it like this is just…it's a bit overwhelming."

Alear nodded in understanding. He looked Weiss and in the eyes, crystal blue meeting jade green. "Learn from him. Realize what he's done and most importantly, never become him."

"That's why I'm here," explained Weiss. "My father was not the beginning of our family and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

A glimmer of hope sparked inside Alear. "_Maybe she will be able to change how her family operates. Maybe the future treatment of our people can change." _His face lit up with a warm smile as he set back down on Blake's bed.

Ruby poked Alear's arm. "What happened next?" she asked innocently.

He looked to Blake and his smile widened. "Then I met Kitty Cat over here and we became such great friends." Blake rolled her eyes. "My life started looking up after that. My friend Adam trained me to fight, Blake and I started hanging out more, and hell I even got a girlfriend." He gestured to Nix. "Her sister in fact."

Nix bounced excitedly at the attention. "That's right! My big sister, Neo."

Yang stared at Nix, her eyes turning red as she made the connection. "Your sister…is Neo?!" she yelled.

"Yang, calm down!" pleaded Ruby.

Alear and Nix looked at each other with confused expressions. "You know Neo?" asked Alear.

"I HATE THAT LITTLE-"

Yang was cut off by Ruby. "Not so loud!"

"Calm her down while I explain," cut in Blake.

Ruby quickly led the angry blonde out of the room. Shortly after, Yang poked her head back in the room. "YOUR EX IS A BITCH!" Ruby promptly yanked her back in the hallway.

Everyone was silent for what seemed like an eternity, until Alear's laughter broke the silence.

Nix put on a pouty face. "That's not funny. Don't you care about her?" Blake's heart jumped at the question and she wasn't sure why, but she really wanted him to say no.

Alear laughed harder. "Are you serious?" She nodded. His expression turned blank. "I did, but now? All I feel is contempt."

Nix frowned. "How can you say that? You guys were together for 2 years!"

Alear huffed. "It's kind of hard to care for someone once they leave you for dead."

"But you don't know she did that. She cares about you!"

"Yes, I do. You weren't there. Don't talk like you were." He removed his jacket and shirt, exposing the scar. Nix hadn't seen it yet. She grew a horrified expression. "Your sister sat and watched as Adam carved me up like I was a Grimm. She didn't say, or do, anything as he burned my insides with his aura." He returned his clothes to his chest and walked over to Nix, moving his face inches from hers. "So don't you dare tell me she cares about me."

"So that's it? You hate her?" Nix called after him as he sat back down.

He sighed. "I don't know. We didn't exactly get a lot of closure." Nix nodded in understanding. "A part of me will always care for her, that's just natural after being with someone for so long." Blake's heart sank. She couldn't control these bubbling emotions. "But I can say with absolute certainty that I will never be with her again. So I'm sorry, Nix. I won't end up being your big brother like you wanted."

Blake smiled to herself, while Nix's face grew hot with embarrassment. "I told you that in confidence. You're not supposed to tell people!"

"Awwww that's adorable!" exclaimed Nora, proceeding to hug Nix. Nix scowled and gave Alear a death glare. He smiled sweetly in response.

"Alright, all girl drama aside, I believe Blake was about to explain the whole Yang-Neo situation," reminded Alear.

Blake rolled on her side. "Well to put it simply, my team has had run-ins with her before. She's bested us twice now. The first time, she helped a criminal named Roman Torchwick escape. The second time, she beat Yang in a fight and then disappeared while Yang was unconscious. She still isn't sure what happened. The only thing she remembers is fighting and then seeing a woman in red walking into some sort of portal after she woke up."

Alear rubbed his chin. "That would explain why she got so worked up, but what really interests me is this woman. If she's able to create portals, she could prove to be a dangerous foe…or a potent ally." He was lost in thought until Blake gently prodded at his face. "Sorry. Anyway, I hope that suffices?" He directed this at Weiss.

She nodded. "I'm sorry I made you share your personal memories. I just…had to be sure you weren't a bad person."

He winked at her. "No problem, Ms. Schnee." His voice was laced with humor.

"Don't mock me, dog boy."

"Heh, but it's so fun." She gave him an icy stare. "Well, it's getting late. I'm going to head back to my room and catch some shut eye."

Jaune looked at his watch. His eyeballs almost shot out of his head. "He's right we've been here for hours!"

Alear stretched, and then walked to the door. "Blake, come to my room when you have a minute. I'd like to talk to you, in private."

Butterflies flew in her stomach as he finished speaking. "Y-Yea."

Alear left the room, leaving Blake with her friends.

"Oh Ren, they're gonna make babies!" Nora gasped. "I wonder if they're gonna be puppies or kitties."

"Nora, I don't think that's how that works," stated Ren in his usual calm manner. Blake decided to get out before her embarrassment became too much to handle, taking care to replace her bow. She walked to his door and started fixing her hair, using her scroll as a mirror. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she opened the door to find the lights were off. She proceeded slowly into his room.

"Alear…?" The door closed behind her. She felt her bow being removed from behind and she quickly pounced forward, onto one of the beds. Her bow fell to the floor in the process.

"Relax, Kitty Cat," said Alear.

"Why were you hiding in the dark?" Blake asked with suspicion.

He shrugged. "I just thought you'd be up for round two of our little wrestling match. I figured getting the jump on you would be the best strategy, but then I saw you had your bow on and I just had to take it off."

She took her bow from the floor and started raising her hand to re-put it on. Alear gently held her hand with the bow in it. "Don't. You look so much better without it. You don't need to hide who you are with me."

She raised a curious eyebrow. "Since when do you care about my appearance?"

"Since we became friends if you want to be literal about it. I wouldn't be a good one if I didn't make sure you were at your best, including your appearance," he said matter-of-factly.

_"Just a friend?" _Blake quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss such thoughts. "So you just wanted to continue the match?"

He shrugged. "Maybe discuss some things."

"Like what?"

He moved his body close to hers and whispered in her ear. "Like this tension between us all of a sudden."

Blake quickly recoiled back, her heart racing. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

He chuckled. "If that's how you want to play it, Blake. I can be patient"

"What did you really want to talk about?" Her amber eyes were pointed at the ground. She was trying to hide the redness of her face.

"I just wanted to confirm a suspicion I've had for a little while." He laid down on one of the beds and placed his arms behind his head.

_"He knows about my feelings doesn't he?! Now he's just messing with me, how cruel." _Blake bit her lip and sat at the edge of the same bed. "If you know then why are you toying with me?"

"I rarely get to see you emote, so I was milking it for as long as possible. I mean, it's not every day that I get to see that cute blush of yours."

The blush in discussion was currently showing itself, much to Blake's displeasure.

"Besides," started Alear. "I want to hear you say it out loud, instead of bottling it up inside."

"But-"

"No buts," interrupted the wolf Faunus.

"How did you even find out for sure?"

"You just confirmed it for one," stated Alear. "And two, it was kind of obvious when you were wrapping your arms around me back there. I could feel your heart beating faster as you did." He grinned at her. "You're unaccustomed to having another Faunus around. I can hear just as well as you can." He beckoned her over. She slowly made her way to him, laying her head next to his on the pillow.

He turned on his side to face her. "Blake, how long have we been friends now?"

"Five years," she answered without hesitation. "Why?"

Without warning he gently pressed his lips against hers. She recoiled at first, mostly out of shock, but quickly leaned into it. He pulled away after a few seconds.

"I was just wondering how long you've been waiting for me to do that," he said with a smile Blake found adorable. Any doubt she had with her feelings about him were now erased.

She huffed. "You sure are confident in yourself aren't you, puppy dog?"

"Oh? Well if I'm wrong then I guess you don't want to be my girlfriend" Alear started to walk around but was stopped when she grabbed his wrist. Her face was hidden by her hair.

She looked up, her amber eyes piercing him. "Was that your lame way of asking me out, Wolf Boy?"

Alear feigned shock. "Miss Belladonna, I am offended you would even suggest such a thing!" He paused a moment before continuing. "My attempt was not lame, fair kitty cat."

She pulled him back into the bed. "Shut up and kiss me," she muttered before firmly planting her lips on Alear's.

**-Meanwhile, somewhere just outside of Vale-**

A familiar bull Faunus walked through the halls of a bustling, underground base. White fang grunts were transporting cargo onto airships. Several of the ships were flying away through metal hatches in the ceiling.

"Sir," said a grunt approaching him. "All of the supplies are on their way. The camp will be fully operational by the end of the week."

Adam grunted his approval. "See to it personally. I want no mistakes. Oh, and take our guest with you. He has experience with this kind of operation."

"Yes sir." The grunt scurried off, presumably to retrieve this guest Adam spoke of.

Adam walked to the cell block of their makeshift cavern and stared into one in particular. A lone woman with brown hair and jade eyes lay crumpled in the corner. Her face was slightly wrinkled from age and hard-living.

Adam leaned against the bars. "What's the matter, dear? You should be happy. You're going back, with your lover. That's good news"

She remained silent, staring blanking into the wall.

He smirked to himself and walk away, leaving the woman. A single tear fell from her emotionless face, as two wolf ears limply emerged from her unkempt hair.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Next chapter is here. Things are starting to unfold. What could the White Fang be doing? Who knows…well I do but…shut up. You know what I mean. Be sure to leave a review if you enjoy the story or have advice for me. I welcome all criticism; just try to be polite about it. Enjoy!**

"Thank you for joining me, you two." Ozpin leaned forward in his chair, linking his fingers. He rested his elbows on his desk.

"Sure thing," replied Alear. He and Nix had been called down early in the morning to discuss something with Ozpin. They had yet to be told what. The suspense was starting to get to the wolf Faunus.

"Relax, Mr. Meerin," Ozpin said calmly as he saw him fidgeting. This was the first time someone had used Alear's last name. He had chosen it himself shortly after arriving at Beacon. He hadn't needed one in the White Fang. "I merely have a proposition for you and Ms. Nix. All I ask is you hear me out."

The two students nodded.

Ozpin sipped on his coffee. "As you may have noticed, students here are placed on four person teams upon their arrival. These teams work together to hone their skills, both individual and teamwork. With you two, this is not the case. While these teams are being sent on assignments, you two stay here. I wish to remedy that."

"What do you mean," said the two students in unison. They looked at each other after realizing what they just did, startled.

Ozpin's eyebrow twitched in amusement. "I wish to establish a new branch of operations here in Beacon; one dedicated specifically to recon, espionage, and strategic elimination."

Alear crossed his arms "Elimination? Are we talking about Grimm or people?"

"Both, when the occasion calls for it."

Nix looked at him in surprise. Was the headmaster giving them permission to kill?

"Normally we save these types of missions for full huntsmen and huntresses, or at least the older students, but I feel with the two of you having your…unique past, you've probably had experience with this sort of thing."

Alear was amused to say the least. "You're a very astute man, aren't you Professor?"

A small grin formed on Ozpin's lips. "I like to think so."

Alear was curious about something though. "How do you even know about our pasts? We didn't exactly flaunt that kind of info around."

"I'm the headmaster of Beacon, Mr. Meerin. I have my sources," He said with a shrug.

Alear didn't like that Ozpin could so easily find such sensitive information about him, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

"So how will this work, team-wise I mean." Nix blinked, her eyes switching colors as she said this. It seemed she had a habit of doing so. Whether it was semblance-related, or just because she liked to mess with people, nobody knew for sure.

"I'm glad you asked," said Ozpin with an appreciative smile. "Unlike normal teams, this new stealth force is going to be comprised of two man teams. These teams will function differently than normal. Instead of their being a leader, the members will be partners. The four man teams also have partners, but ultimately obey their leaders orders. These new teams will operate on an equal standing. Most of the time these partners will work on missions together, but there will be the occasional solo mission."

"And why are WE your picks for this new branch?" Alear gestured between himself and Nix.

Ozpin didn't seem to mind the interruption. "Because of the smaller teams and possible solo missions, the individuals chosen will need to be exceptionally talented. I believe, after much research, that you two are skilled enough for such a position. Not to mention, both of you are very hard to find if you wish not to be found. That will be a very useful ability in the stealth force."

Nix raised an eyebrow. "You know about our skills?"

"Like I said, I'm the headmaster of Beacon. I have my sources." Ozpin loved to be mysterious.

Alear ran his tongue along the bottom of his teeth, something he had a habit of doing when he was thinking. "There must be other people with the same skills, like Blake Belladonna. She is amazingly talented. Why just us?"

Ozpin raised his eyebrow in amusement. "I'm well aware of your girlfriend's status."

_"He even knows about our romantic lives? Great," _thought Alear grimly.

Ozpin continued. "But the other students, including Ms. Belladonna, came to my school at the proper time and have gone through our initiation. They are already assigned to teams and I feel breaking those teams apart now would only hinder their growth."

"I'm in," said Alear.

Nix eyes grew wide in surprise, her head tilted to the side in interest.

"And you Ms. Nix?" Ozpin asked after a moment of silence.

"Well," Nix sighed. "If this big lug is going to do this whole stealth thingy, then I guess I could be his partner." She grew a broad smile, excited at the aspect of working with Alear again.

"Excellent," said Ozpin. A smile of his own was forming. "We are putting together your first assignment as we speak. I'll send the details and departure date to your scrolls when we're finished. You are dismissed."

They nodded and made their way back to their dorm room. Nix had taken one of the extra beds in Alear's room, seeing as he had three unused ones. After Nix moved in, they both pushed two of the beds together, giving them both a lot of extra space in the room. Blake was a little nervous about Alear living alone with another girl, but was reassured after a long night of talking via scroll.

It was a Saturday. Ozpin had called them down pretty early, so everyone else was still sleeping. The two decided to get an early breakfast, after changing out of their uniforms, and wait for their friends to join them. They ate pancakes in quiet companionship, with Alear almost falling asleep. He wasn't used to waking up early. He liked to take long, leisurely naps. These had been in short supply since his enrollment at Beacon, much to his dismay.

Despite being tired, Alear was happy for the first time in what seemed like forever. He had been miserable in the slave camp. He had been miserable with the White Fang. Hell, he had even been miserable when he first arrived at Beacon, although you'd never guess it. One of the things he mastered at a very young age was the ability to mask his emotions. When he was hurting, he rarely showed it. He just threw up a smile and pretended like he didn't have a care in the world.

But lately, that smile has slowly started to become more and more sincere. Thanks to the new friends he had made, topped off with his new relationship with his favorite cat Faunus, he was finally feeling genuinely happy. He felt like nothing could bring him now, that nothing could ruin his happiness. He didn't know how wrong he was. He didn't know that in just a short while, he would be dragged back into the darkness.

"Boop." Alear was snapped out of his sleepy gaze by an eccentric redhead poking his nose.

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Hello to you too, Nora." He tossed her a pancake and she caught it in her mouth, shaking back and forth with excitement.

"You know, if you keep giving her pancakes she's going to start sticking to you like glue," said Ren, calm as usual. How he stayed like that around the fiery ball of energy, nobody knew. "She has an unhealthy obsession with them."

The hammer-wielder paid no attention to this comment and happily munched on her new-found pancakes, courtesy of Alear. He had only eaten a few and had several left. He saw no reason they should go to waste.

Jaune and Pyrrha soon came over from the breakfast line and now the whole of team JNPR sat at the table.

"Hey guys," Nix said cheerfully.

Jaune made his best attempt at wooing the new girl in their group of friends. "Well hello there, cutie. Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it," he said, gesturing toward himself.

She tilted her head and gave him her cutest smile. At first, he thought he had succeeded in flirting with her, much to Pyrrha's discomfort. He was about to continue when she started rapidly blinking, switching her eye colors between pink and blue with every flutter. This soon disoriented him, resulting in him losing focus on reality. She, and her sister Neo, inherited the same semblance, illusions. Once he was out of it, she stopped blinking, both of her eyes going white as she stared into his own orbs.

"What should I make him see, Wolfy?" She asked with giddy anticipation. She loved messing with peoples' minds.

The wolf Faunus glanced at Pyrrha, coming up with a glorious idea. His face practically exploded with excitement, rivaling Nora. He leaned close to Nix and whispered his idea into her ear. She grinned evilly and nodded her approval.

Jaune instantly reacted. "Oh, Pyrrha? When did we get back to the room? And why are you wearing…THAT?" His face blushed and a certain organ started to rise. Pyrrha noticed and looked away with a gasp. Her face was almost as red as her hair.

"Wha-What are you making him see?!" She demanded. Ren struggled to contain his amusement, but to no avail. He soon was laughing quite loudly, alongside Alear and the rest of team JNPR, minus Jaune and Pyrrha.

"I just told her to show you and him alone in your dorm," Alear said with big, innocent eyes. "And you might be wearing…a sexy maid outfit?" He flashed a cheesy smile.

Pyrrha was mortified at the thought of Jaune seeing her that exposed. They haven't even started dating yet, let alone anything like that.

Nix on the other hand, seemed quite pleased with her handiwork. She kept her illusion going long enough for Jaune to start making light moans, then quickly ended it, leaving him confused as to what just happened. His member was raised tall, free of shame. That is until he realized he was sporting a full erection in front of his team. He quickly scooted closer to the table and bowed his head in embarrassment. Pyrrha was right there with him.

"Welcome back, Jauney Boy," said Alear with obvious enjoyment. "Did you enjoy your little fantasy? Nix is quite skilled at what she does. The illusions seem so...realistic, don't they?"

He somberly nodded.

Alear grinned at the response. "She's pulled a few tricks like that on me back in the day." Nix stuck her tongue out at him.

"How'd you get her to stop?" ventured Jaune.

The jade-eyed wolf Faunus started to say something, but quickly shut his mouth after Nix glared daggers at him, daring him to speak. "Let's just say…I gave her a taste of her own medicine." He winked at Nix, causing her to blush at the memory. "I'll get into that another time though; it looks like team RWBY is finally awake."

Sure enough, RWBY proceeded to the breakfast line minus Blake, who came to sit next to Alear. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder with a slight groan.

Alear chuckled. "Well hello to you too, Kitty Cat. Tired?"

"Mhm," she said lazily. "It's Ruby and her damn whistle. She scares the hell out of us every morning with that thing."

"Have the Ice Queen deal with her. She can be a real hard ass."

"I heard that!" yelled Weiss from the line. Alear waved at her.

"She's tried, we all have. She finds it no matter where we hide it."

Nix put on a mischievous smile. "You know Blake, I'm sure Alear wouldn't mind if you started sleeping in our room."

He wrapped his arm around her. "Nix if you're trying to embarrass me, you're going to have to try harder. We used to sleep next to each other all the time."

Ren gave him a questioning look.

"What? We didn't exactly have a lot of room in the White-…um I mean the organization we used to be a part of." Alear had to watch his words. RWBY and JNPR already knew about their past, but they were in public right now. Anyone could be listening.

Nora slurped down her last pancake. "So does that mean you two have done "stuff" in the past?" She grew a perverse grin. Blake glared at her.

"As interesting as this conversation is, I have to be going." Alear kissed Blake on the head before standing up.

The cat Faunus was not happy that her pillow was leaving so soon. "Where are you going?"

He stretched before responding. "I'm just heading into the city for a little while. Feel free to join me after you guys are done with breakfast. I'll probably just be wandering around."

Alear quickly left before anyone could say anything, returning to his dorm room. He checked his scroll, hoping he had received a certain message. He was in luck.

The message read, "Meet me in the park in the center of Vale. –X."

Alear smiled to himself. There was another reason he was up this early, besides Ozpin summoning him. He had secretly been gathering information on White Fang activities, specifically Adam's activities. To do this, he had contacted several old friends who were still with Adam. It took more than a little convincing to persuade them that Adam's story about him being a traitor was false. It took even more convincing to get them to believe Adam's own betrayal.

But once his friends found out the truth, they were more than happy to be spies. X was one of these contacts, one who hopefully had some useful information about Adam.

He strapped his weapon, now in its sniper form, on his lower back and proceeded to take an airship into Vale.

Sure enough, he found his contact in the park. They wore a long, black cloak with a black hood covering their face.

Alear calmly sat down next to them, staring out into the park. "Not very inconspicuous are you, Xera?"

She calmly pulled her hood back, revealing her long, black hair and pale skin. Her slit, red eyes were the only sign of her being a snake Faunus. These eyes burned into his own. He always had to fight the urge to shudder whenever she did so.

"It's not like I can walk around here uncovered. The White Fang has eyes everywhere." Her voice was as icy as her gaze.

"Tell me something I don't know. Hell, I'm pretty sure they're in Beacon too," Alear sighed.

"Then it's safe to assume Adam knows you're alive and well, and where you are." Xera crossed her arms. "Great, that makes my job much harder."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "You know, I do appreciate what you and the others are doing. I couldn't do this without you."

She smirked. "Trying to flirt with me, Alear? Tsk, tsk. I don't think little miss kitty would like that."

He laughed. "Please, if I was flirting with you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

She scoffed. "You're pretty confident for someone who was dumped by his last girlfriend."

"Alright, alright. You've made your point. What intel have you got for me?"

Her face grew grim. She lowered her face and leaned closer to Alear. "Something big is going down. Adam's been shipping men and resources to an unknown location for weeks."

Alear was confused. "To what end?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. It's all been quiet. Only the higher-ups seem to know much. I've only overheard them say something about restarting some kind of camp. I think it's some kind of dust mining operation, based on the kind of equipment they've been sending."

"Dust mining? He's using his soldiers to mine?"

Xera sighed, not happy about what she was about to tell him. "No, he isn't. He's begun using slave labor, human and Faunus alike. He's been shipping large amounts of them there for a while now."

To say Alear was mad would be an understatement. "Are you kidding me?! How the hell is everyone else okay with that?!"

Xera cupped his face with her hand and looked him in the eyes in an attempt to calm him. "I understand you're angry, but remember where we are." Her voice was hushed.

He took a deep breath, digging into the side of the bench with his nails.

The snake Faunus turned her gaze back to the park. "He's saying that all that he's doing…is for the greater good of our people."

"That's bullshit," he muttered.

"I know…but everyone is so…desperate." Her voice was wavering. "They're being blinded by their own desperation, allowing Adam to persuade them that whatever they have to do to gain Faunus equality is worth it. No matter who gets hurt in the process, it all seems justified to them."

"He's a goddamn mad man."

Xera nodded solemnly before checking her scroll for the time. "I must be going now. I've lingered here long enough."

Team RWBY and JNPR spotted them as she said this. Alear nodded. "Go, my friend, and be safe, you hear? You and the others must not take any unnecessary risks."

"No promises," she said with a sly smile, throwing up her hood and vanishing from sight.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Come onnnnnnn," whined Ruby. "Tell us who that girl wasssssss."

This had been going on for several minutes, much to everyone's annoyance. Alear's meeting had ended about twenty minutes ago, with everyone giving him questioning stares as Xera vanished.

Alear had had enough, and based on their facial expressions, so had Jaune and Ren. He sighed and placed his hand on her head. "Will you be quiet about that if I let you see my weapon?" He moved the bottom of his jacket to the side, revealing what was hidden underneath, and tapped the end of his weapon a few times. "It's right here."

Ruby became starry-eyed, snatching away his weapon with lightning speed, causing everyone to giggle at her enthusiasm.

"Why don't you girls go shopping? It'll give Ruby time to look over my weapon while you guys browse." The wolf Faunus ruffled Nix's hair, much to her irritation. "Plus it'll help Nix here fit in. She needs friends and I'm hoping you guys can become closer."

Nix slapped his hand away. "I don't need your help making friends!"

Yang effectively silenced the tiny illusionist by shoving her head between her abnormally large breasts. Nix struggled, but she wasn't strong enough to break the Brawler's grip. "Don't worry, Wolfy. We'll take good care of her." Yang slung Nix over her shoulder, her head facing behind Yang.

Pyrrha beamed at the opportunity to make another friend. "I'm sure we'll have a grand time," said the Spartan, giving Nix a reassuring smile. The three quickly disappeared into the nearest clothing store, with Blake and Weiss following closely behind.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Nora were messing around with Alear's weapon. Nora spotted a small button and immediately pushed it. The compact rifle unfolded into its full length, its scope popping into place.

"Whoa," they said unison. Ren and Jaune were peeking over their shoulders, interested in his weapon as well.

Ruby ran her hand down the length in an almost hypnotic way. "What's its name?"

Alear smiled, glad that Ruby was enjoying herself. "In its sniper form I like to call it Storm Breaker."

"This form?" asked a confused Ruby. Her face soon dawned in realization. "Oh, right! You had something sheathed on your hip during story time!"

He could not believe she just referred to him spilling his guts out the other night as "story time."

He decided it wasn't worth the trouble to bring it up and pushed another, more hidden button on the bottom of the rifle. The scope retracted into the gun. The outside metal casing of the rifle split into two parts, forming two swords, one longer than the other. Hilts emerged from the bottoms of the two blades.

Ruby jumped at the sudden transformation, dropping the swords with a yelp. She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Heh, sorry…" She pouted on the inside, not believing she just dropped someone else's weapon like that. She would want to kill someone if they did that to Crescent Rose!

He gave her a warm smile. Ruby always seemed to remind him of a girl he met while he was enslaved. He could barely remember her, but what he did remember was that her personality always made everyone's day a little brighter, the rough work of a slave a little easier. Ruby had this same quality, the same child-like innocence.

"It's quite alright, little one," he said gently, picking up the two blades. "The materials I have available to me at Beacon are of a much higher quality than what I'm used to. It's likely that they're stronger now than they've ever been. A little fall like that isn't going to do anything." He held the swords, hilt first, toward the two girls. Nora took the short sword and Ruby took the long sword.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to give Nora a sharp item?" asked Ren with a little concern.

"Yeah…I'm with Ren on this one," agreed Jaune.

Alear raised his eyebrow in concern. "Is she really that bad?"

Ren and Jaune slowly nodded their heads with wide eyes.

Ruby looked lost in her imagination as she gazed at the sword in her hand, thinking about how Alear must use it in combination with the short sword. She wanted to see his fighting style.

Nora poked the short sword through the air like a child who found a new toy.

"What are their names?" said Ruby, breaking out of her trance.

"Surge and Shimmer."

Nora bounced excitedly. "Oh, oh, which one do I have?"

He chuckled lightly. "That's Shimmer, my curved, single-edged, short sword."

"Why do you call it Shimmer?"

"Pour a little aura into it and you'll find out."

She complied almost immediately and the blade started shining with a brilliant light. She moved Shimmer through the air a few times, admiring its beauty. It was made of a special reflection type metal, making it hard to keep track of during a fight. When charged with aura, Shimmer literally seemed to shimmer back and forth, even when it's not actually moving.

"Shiny!" she exclaimed after a few moments, causing everyone to face palm.

Ruby had become curious about Surge and decided to see what would happen if she poured aura into it. She immediately regretted the decision. Lightning coursed through Surge, causing Ruby to toss it back and forth between her hands like a game of hot potato. She threw Surge toward Alear and he caught it with amusement.

"I assume you know why I named it Surge now?" he said with a raised eyebrow. Ruby nodded, teary-eyed, hiding behind Nora. "Don't be afraid of it, little one. Its lightning will not harm its wielder." He reclaimed Shimmer from Nora and rejoined the two swords back into Storm Breaker, folding it back into its compact form, and strapped it to his lower back once again, hiding it under his jacket.

"How does it do that?" Ren asked with genuine curiosity. He had never seen a weapon do something like that before.

"I made it out of aura-receptive metal I found here, and enhanced it by coating it with lightning Dust. When aura is channeled into it, the Dust activates, creating lightning."

Ren nodded in understanding. Jaune was a little bummed, thinking of how his own sword, Crocea Mors, didn't match up to Alear's.

Nora had grown bored and wandered off to join the other girls in their shopping.

"Well Ruby?" asked the wolf Faunus.

"Well what?" replied the cookie-loving teen.

"Are you satisfied with the little demonstration of my weapon?"

She nodded vigorously. "Despite my startled reactions, I'm glad you shared with me. I don't know much about you, so I like to think as every time you open up as a victory." She pointed to Alear with determination in her voice. "One day, I promise you I shall learn what makes you tick!"

Alear huffed. "You already know my past."

"Yea, but not much about you personally."

He shrugged. "I guess I see your point, but don't expect it to be easy. Now shouldn't you go meet up with the other girls? They'll probably need all the help they can get with Nora. You know how she gets when she's excited."

Ruby grimaced and shot off toward the others, using her semblance to disappear in a blur of rose petals.

Alear grinned widely and turned toward Ren and Jaune. "Now that they're gone, what do you boys say about a little poker back at my place?"

**-With the girls-**

"Just try it on. You'll look cute!" said Yang through the changing room door. All the girls had come together to help Nix get more clothes, seeing as she only had the one outfit. She didn't even have pajamas, having to borrow Alear's shorts and t-shirts as sleeping attire.

There was an audible groan from inside the changing room. "F-Fine, just give me a moment." The illusionist was nervous about this whole situation. "I'm gonna look dumb!" Nix complained.

"Oh hush. Just come on out already," replied Yang. All the girls were waiting anxiously to see how their new friend would look.

The changing room opened with a pout from Nix. The little mirage artist now wore a pink, sleeveless t-shirt with her symbol freshly emblazoned in blue upon the right breast of the shirt. The symbol consisted of an elegant looking mirror with a large crack going down the center, as if it was shattering. She also wore a skirt similar to Ruby's, but Nix's was white with pink trimmings. She wore no leggings this time, leaving her pale white legs exposed. The outfit was completed with a pair of dark-blue boots with pink laces. The outfit's color was as mix-matched as the girl herself, but all in all it looked good on her.

There was a brief silence as the other girls looked her over. Nix averted her gaze, thinking the silence meant she looked bad as she had feared.

But this wasn't the case. They were all stunned at how she looked, particularly Weiss. The heiress's face was sporting a healthy blush. Her heart rate steadily increased.

"Beautiful…" muttered Weiss. Nix raised an amused eyebrow. "I-I mean you look adequate," Weiss said, quickly regaining her composure.

Nix had gained some confidence and did a twirl, showing off the back of the outfit. She winked at the snowy heiress at the end of the spin, causing Weiss to blush again. Nix had found a new way to entertain herself.

The girls stayed shopping for several hours, entering store after store, each buying new clothes. They even picked out some pajamas for Nix. They were black sweatpants with pink hearts along the legs and a blue tank top.

Eventually, they all proceeded to checkout. Everyone paid for their clothes and now it was Nix's turn. She started pulling out her purse when a hand stopped her. It belonged to Weiss.

"I'll cover this, don't worry about it," stated Weiss with a hint of compassion in her voice.

"But-" Nix was hushed by Weiss holding up a finger to her lips.

"No buts, Nix. We picked out your clothes so it's only fair that one of us pays for it, and I have the most money out of all of us so it makes sense." Weiss quickly slid her credit card to the cashier before Nix could argue any further.

Once they were outside with their shopping bags, Nix couldn't help but ask. "Why did you pay for me? I have my own money." The group started making their way to the airship docks.

"Because, as I remember it, you didn't exactly come with us by choice," explained Weiss. "Plus, considering your past, any money you have is probably from my family anyway," she joked.

Nix laughed nervously and slowly nodded. "Yeah, you got me there." She paused, deep in thought, trying to figure out how to word what she was about to say. "Hey guys? I'm glad we're all bonding or whatever, but I need to apologize to you guys, especially team RWBY."

"Hm? How come?" asked Blake.

"Yea, what do you have to be sorry for?" chimed in Ruby.

Nix stared at the floor while they walked. "Well…it's just I used to be a member of the White Fang."

"We know, and it doesn't bother us in the slightest. Our resident Kitty Cat and Puppy Dog used to be members too, but we love them just the same. There's no reason you should be a different story." interrupted Yang. Blake rolled her eyes. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Nix smiled lightly to herself. "I'm glad that's how you all feel, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to apologize. I have to, for fighting people as kind as you all. I had no idea that you were like this. We were always told that you were the bad guys. Now that I know the truth, I have to apologize for the horrible things my sister and I did."

"Hey, come on now," said Yang. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You changed your ways, came here to Beacon to have a chance at a better life. You've turned your back on all that evil stuff. As far as I'm concerned, you've more than redeemed yourself already."

Tears welled up in Nix's eyes. She quickly wiped them away, but not before Weiss noticed.

Weiss gave her a warm smile, ironic considering her nickname. "Yang's right you know. None of us blame you for anything the White Fang has done. All the pain and grief is on them, not you. Your sister has chosen her path. Unlike you, it's the wrong one. She'll see the error of her ways eventually. I just hope, for your sake, she does before it's too late."

Nix nodded grimly.

"Blah, blah, blah," said Nora. "Enough of this sad talk. Let's get back to the dorms and show off our new clothes for the boys!"

"I'm down for that!" exclaimed Yang with a seductive gleam in her eye. She was never one to shy away from showing off her body. "Maybe Blake can show her new swimsuit to Wolfy."

Blake's face grew hot. "I only bought that because it's almost summer and I didn't have one!" she yelled defensively.

Yang shrugged, while Pyrrha giggled. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Blakey," said the brawler nonchalantly. The two teammates continued to argue while the group boarded an airship back to Beacon. The others watched in quiet amusement.

Luckily, they had grown weary by the time they had reached the dorms and threw the argument aside. The two teams, minus Jaune and Ren, entered their respective dorms. Nix went into RWBY's dorm, stashing her clothes there for now.

"Um, hey Ruby?" called Pyrrha from across the hall.

"Yesssssss?" replied Ruby, poking her head out of her room.

"Are Jaune and Ren over there by chance? They aren't in our dorm."

They were interrupted by a male voice shouting. "FUCK." The voice came from Alear's room.

They all cautiously gathered outside the room and exchanged worried glances. They opened the door slowly, steeling themselves for what may be happening, but nothing could have prepared them for what lay within.

A big, circular table was in the center of the room. Alear, Ren, and Jaune sat there. A card game was going on.

What really confused the girls was that Alear and Jaune were missing articles of clothing. Jaune was almost naked, only in his boxers, while Alear only had his shirt and boxers. Ren however, was still fully clothed.

"How indecent," muttered Weiss, slightly flushed at the strange sight.

"Umm, what's going on guys?" asked Ruby nervously.

No one looked at the newcomers entering the room; they were too focused on the game.

"Playing poker," grunted Alear.

"Not that I'm complaining," started Yang. "But why are you and Jaune almost naked? You guys playing strip poker? You should have invited me!"

Alear laughed while Jaune blushed at the thought of Yang's body.

"It didn't start out that way, I assure you. Ren here has been kicking our ass to the point where Jaune and I ran out of money and all we had left to bet was well…the clothes on our backs."

Ren looked at the girls with a smug smile on his face, clearly enjoying destroying the two at cards. Pyrrha couldn't stop staring at Jaune's mostly uncovered body. Even though he didn't have much muscle at first, their late night training sessions had caused noticeable difference. His arms and chest were now much more toned.

"Come on Ren, I got you this time!" declared Jaune.

"Oh I gotta see this," said Nix, sitting down on her bed. The other girls followed suit.

Alear looked to Nix with an amused smile. "Hope you girls are ready for seeing Jaune naked. He's been getting beaten worse than I have."

"Hey come on man, have some faith!" argued Jaune.

Ruby was prepared to hide behind Yang. She was too embarrassed for such a thing to be happening right in front of her. Blake, Yang, and Nora all looked as amused as Nix did, while Pyrrha was trying to discreetly take in Jaune without anyone noticing. Weiss looked appalled at the thought of seeing Jaune uncovered. She was really only staying because of Nix. She had grown somewhat fond of her.

Jaune took one last look at his hand and the cards on the field before confidently slamming his hand down on the table. "Pair of kings!" he exclaimed. "Beat that!"

Ren looked at Jaune like a lion playing with its prey. His smug smile never left his face, as he gently laid his cards on the table. "Royal flush, I win."

Jaune stared in disbelief. "Bu-But."

"I believe it's time for payment, fearless leader."

Jaune looked completely and utterly defeated as he stood up. Ruby and Weiss averted their gazes. The other girls couldn't contain their laughter as he slowly slid off his last remaining article of clothing. The knight threw his boxers, along with the last of his pride, onto a rather large pile of clothes and armor next Ren.

"I tried to warn you dude," said Alear sympathetically.

Jaune pouted in response as he did the march of shame back to his room. Pyrrha chased after him, giggling all the way.

"Well, Alear?" said Ren. "Care to try to win back your belongings?"

Alear grinned through a grimace. "I feel like I have to try at least one more time, to honor Jaune's ever so noble sacrifice."

Ren snickered and shuffled the deck. He tossed Alear two cards then drew two for himself. He placed five cards on the table then leaned back in the chair after observing what cards were placed.

Alear was nervous about how nonchalant Ren seemed. The wolf Faunus looked at his own cards and his heart sank. He had quite literally the worst hand he could have gotten.

Ren laid his cards on the table. "Aces, three of a kind."

Alear slumped his head on the table in defeat, tossing his cards on the table. "Pair of twos…" he muttered.

Ren felt kind of bad for doing this to him, but hey, a bet is a bet. "I'll take my winnings now." Ren held his hand open.

"Woo, take it off!" yelled Yang, earning laughter from Nora and Ruby, a stifled giggle from Weiss, and a glare from Blake.

Alear stood up, glaring at Ren. "I swear you're a sadist, Lie." He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it at Ren's face, earning a whoop from Yang. He collapsed on his bed. "Usually I'm the one wiping the floor with people at cards. How'd you get so good?"

Ren shrugged. "Lots of downtime I guess. I needed something to keep me sane, especially since I've been around Nora since I was a kid."

Nora jumped up and hugged Ren from behind. "You know you love me." She blushed after realizing she said that out loud. "I-I mean not like Love-Love, but like you know. Not that you're not handsome, you're handsome. Just um…"

Alear groaned. "You two need to date already. It's obvious she's in love with you, Ren."

"Am not!" protested Nora.

Ren tilted his head to look at her. "Nora, yes you are." She blushed furiously and buried her head in Ren's shoulder. "I love you too, Nora." He gently kissed her cheek.

This earned a round of Awwww's from the girls. Ruby suddenly started bursting out laughing, clutching her sides.

"Um, Rubes?" asked Yang. "What's so funny?"

It took a few moments to answer. Her smile was as wide as anyone had ever seen it. "Alear just played matchmaker in his underwear."

Alear jumped up and struck a heroic pose, which didn't look very heroic since he was only in his boxers, causing another laughing fit to erupt from the scythe-wielder. "That's how I roll, baby," he said in a deep, cartoonish voice.

Nix gave Blake a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry," she said jokingly.

Blake shook her head at Alear's shenanigans, but in truth she liked this side of him. While she was quiet and had a certain mystique, Alear was sociable and sporadic. Their personalities were far from similar, but hey, opposites attract.

The cat Faunus got up and pushed her wolf so he fell onto his bed. "Stop being a weirdo."

Alear smirked as he pulled her down with him, trying to ignite another wrestling match. "Those are fighting words!"

Her face lit up a shade of red that rivaled Ruby's hood. She was embarrassed for two reasons. One, he was doing this in front of all their friends, and two, she was being pressed up against his bare chest. "Alear stop, right now! Bad Wolfy, bad!"

Nix smiled at the two. Despite Blake's reaction, she knew she was enjoying herself. After seeing how happy the wolf Faunus is, she began to wonder if Adam's betrayal was really a bad thing. It did lead to this after all, and it seemed Alear couldn't be happier.

**-With Xera, in a dark alley in Vale just after midnight.-**

Xera had other business she had to take care of while in the city, and just as she was about to leave Vale she got a message from an unknown scroll.

"Xera, it's Alear. Meet me at these coordinates immediately. It's urgent."

It was shortly after midnight, making Xera suspicious but if Alear needed something, she couldn't leave him hanging.

When she got there, she was surprised to find several people in-waiting. They were her friends, Alear's other contacts. There was Sid, a tiger Faunus; Reina, a fox Faunus; Dom; a deer Faunus; and Millie, a rabbit Faunus.

"Alear message you too?" asked Sid.

Xera nodded, her brow furrowing. "This isn't right. He wouldn't call all of us." Her eyes widened in realization. "It's a trap!"

Her words came too late as a figure came slamming down into the alleyway, causing dust to fly around. They heard a cry as the dust settled, revealing the lone figure that attacked them.

He wore blood red jeans and an armored jacket of the same color. Orange patterns scattered across the clothing. His hair was a bright orange. His eyes were a sickening mix of orange and yellow.

In his hand, currently smashed into the ground, was a large two-handed sword. It was unbelievably massive, much too much for a normal person to use effectively, especially one handed like he was. His other hand was covered to the elbow in a gray metal gauntlet with claws sharpened at the ends of the fingers. What was in his clawed hand was what caused the cry.

The man had grabbed Millie by the face. The claws were digging into her head.

"Ashura?!" exclaimed Dom. "What the hell happened to you? Put Millie Down!"

Ashura merely looked at him, his eyes full of murderous intent, and smiled. He increased the pressure to his hand. Mille screamed as her head was crush under his death grip. Blood splattered against the walls.

"No!" screamed Dom, as he saw his fiancé's body thrown to the side like a ragdoll. Tears streamed down the deer Faunus's face. Ashura looked at him, amused, as he licked the blood off his claws. "I'll kill you!" Dom drew his sword and ran, full sprint, at Ashura. He didn't get very far.

Ashura swung his massive great sword, slashing through Dom and crashing into the side of a building. The sword cut through Dom's aura instantly, severing him at the waist. The others watched in horror as the light quickly faded from the deer Faunus's eyes. His torso was pinned to the wall along with the great sword.

Ashura switched his gaze to Xera. "Adam doesn't appreciate you consorting with that traitorous mongrel."

"Drop the act. We know Adam is the real traitor, you monster!" yelled Reina, her eyes filled with angry tears.

"My, my. Such a mouth on this one. I hope you don't mind if I silence it." Before anyone could react, he pulled his sword out of the wall and swung it with lightning speed toward Reina. The others could do nothing but watch as her head was severed from her body, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Her body crumbled, lifeless, blood spewing from her neck.

Xera pulled out a dagger and Sid detached a battleaxe from his back. They attacked together, Sid swinging overhead, and Xera striking from below.

Ashura laughed maniacally at their attempt to harm it. He swung his destructive great sword again, shattering Sid's battleaxe. The demented killer slammed his weapon into the ground. Sid gasped as he and Xera were grabbed by the throat, stopping Xera mid-strike. Ashura slammed them both against the wall with enough force that the building cracked behind them. His clawed left hand had Xera, while his uncovered right hand had Sid. The two struggled to breathe, scratching at his hands.

Ashura glared at Sid. "I don't need you." Sid screamed in agony as his throat suddenly caught on fire, slowly spreading to the rest of his body. His body writhed in pain for several minutes before he finally died. The charred body was tossed next to the others.

"Wh-What d-do yo-you want?" Xera spat out through ragged breathes.

The murderous madman grinned maliciously. "To send a message." Xera let out a muffled cry as he ripped her throat out. She too fell limply to the ground, twitching as the last of her lifeblood drained out of her.

Ashura sighed in contentment as he soaked his hands in Xera's blood and began smearing it on the wall.

**So…uh hey guys. Kind of a dark turn huh? Sorry about that haha. I'm going to warn you now that it's going to get dark like this again real soon. The main plot is going to start picking up, and don't worry. I'm not going to go OC crazy. Alear, Nix, and Ashura are probably going to be the only OC's from now on, but no promises. We'll see how it all unfolds. I hope you enjoy it so far. ^-^**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_**Piemaster981: Well somebody loves finger painting. **_**Dude you made me laugh for like five minutes when I saw your review haha, I appreciate it.**

**Last chapter was kind of a long one, sorry it took so long v.v I'm trying to post these, at the latest, weekly but sometimes I lose track of time. Sorry my author notes are kind of lame, but I like to at least say something to you guys either before or after the chapter. I appreciate all the reviews and support I've gotten. I love you all *-* (no homo…okay well maybe a little homo *wink*). Ahem anyway, without further ado, chapter 6 is here.**

Alear woke with a start. His scroll beeped from across the room, signifying a notification. He grunted and attempted to get up, feeling a tug of resistance. A certain Kitty Cat had her arms wrapped around him.

He lay back down for a moment, inspecting his sleeping partner. She looked so peaceful, all of her worries were seemingly nonexistent. He smiled to himself and pressed his lips to her forehead, lightly scratching her ears. She purred in contentment, smiling in her sleep.

"_If she keeps being this cute I'm not going to be able to leave," _he thought to himself.

He did his best to unwrap himself from her embrace, sliding a pillow in his place. She happily cuddled with it. Alear grabbed his scroll, seeing it was noon, and took a quick picture of Blake in her adorable sleeping pose. She'd probably hate it, but it was a nice memento.

Satisfied with the result, he checked his messages. One was from…Xera? Didn't she leave Vale already? The message had arrived at a quarter-past midnight. "There's nothing you can hide from us."

What the hell? Was Xera trying to be funny? Alear shook his head and checked the last message in his inbox. It was from Ozpin and had only arrived a few minutes ago. "Mr. Meerin, come to Vale immediately. There's been an accident. I believe you know at least one of the victims. I must warn you, it is…messy."

Alear's heart filled with dread as he put the two pieces of information together. He didn't like what the facts seemed to be suggesting. He hoped to Oum that it wasn't Xera. He quickly changed into a spare set of clothes, identical to his original clothes that Ren still possessed, and strapped Storm Breaker to his back before bursting out of his dorm room.

Ruby poked her head out of her room, hearing the commotion. Upon seeing Alear running she decided to follow him, catching up easily with her semblance. "Where's the matter?" she asked, running alongside him.

"I'm not sure, but I think my friend is hurt," he explained in a worried tone. "If something has happened, I won't be able to forgive myself." Ruby was now as worried as he was.

The duo traveled the rest of the way in silence, quickly taking an airship into the city. They arrived within ten minutes, with some…encouragement from Alear. The two quickly bounded down the streets until they came upon Ozpin and a few police officers. They stood outside an alley with police tape bordering the entrance.

Ozpin gestured them over, placing a hand on each of the youths' shoulders. "I wish I could say it was good you are here. The crime scene is quite gruesome. Are you sure you two wish to see this?"

Alear nodded without hesitation. This was not the case with Ruby. She hesitated a moment before nodding. No matter how terrible it was, she wanted to be there for her friend.

The wolf Faunus ducked under the police tape with Ruby close behind. Ozpin followed, staying a few feet behind the two students.

Alear swiftly scanned the area. What he saw made his stomach turn. He had seen a lot of gruesome scenes in his life, but nothing like the slaughter he now observed. His friends lay scattered, most of them in pieces, on the alley floor. Dried blood caked the grisly scene.

He couldn't fathom what he was seeing. All of his friends, the closest things to his family, were butchered. He could barely control the immense anger and sorrow building within him.

Ruby stood gawking, unable to speak. Even though Ozpin warned her it was bad, she didn't expect such a blood bath. One of them was burned to a crisp for Oum's sake!

Alear grit his teeth before silently kneeling down and one by one closing his friends' eyes, stopping at Xera last. "I'm sorry little snake…." Ruby heard him mutter. "This is my fault…it's my fault they killed all of you." Ruby wrapped him in the biggest hug she could manage, ignoring the gore around her.

She looked at his face, trying to get a better read on his emotions. He looked like someone had just stabbed his heart. His eyes had lost their usual luster. Jade-green was now a dull shadow of its former self.

The wolf Faunus noticed a trail of blood going from Xera's throat to the nearby wall. He broke apart from the scythe-wielder and moved to investigate. Upon the wall, written in the smeared blood of his friend, was a message. "You really think we wouldn't notice? Better luck next time."

The taunt crawled underneath Alear's skin. He let out a growl, green lightning crackling the air around him. He clenched his fist, lightning converging on his hand. Ruby backed away, a little scared of this new side of Alear. He yelled in frustration and punched the wall, venting his anger. The wall was almost completely shattered.

Ozpin gave him a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry, Mr. Meerin. I'll make sure they're given a proper burial.

"No," Alear replied simply. Ozpin raised a curious eyebrow. "These are MY friends. We take…took care of our own. I'll bury them. Just put the coffins on my tab." His voice was grim.

"I assume they were assisting you?" asked the Headmaster. Alear nodded. "Then we will bury them on Beacon Cliff, so that we may properly honor their sacrifice."

"Thank you…Ozpin."

"I understand, you know. It's never easy," started Ozpin. "I've gone through this again and again; made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child in this world. So please, listen to what I have to say. It comes from experience. Don't let this change who you are. Don't become twisted by hatred. Let this experience strengthen you, make you a better person, and then bring those responsible to justice. Ensure that a tragedy like this can never happen again." Alear remained silent, unmoving. "I'll be taking care of the funeral costs. I'll leave the tombstone inscriptions up to you. Goodbye, Mr. Meerin. Please, think about what I've said."

Alear exited the alley soon after Ozpin, no longer able to stand the atrocious sight. He slumped down against the adjacent side of the alley building, facing the street. His usual cheery face was replaced by a mask of empathy. He barely even noticed Ruby sit down next to him. He was too lost in thought, thinking of all the good times he had had with his now dead friends. They had been the best of friends, doing almost everything together. They had grown to the point where they were basically a family. There was even going to be a marriage in the group.

Dom, with some encouragement from Alear, had eventually let his feelings be known to the rabbit Faunus, Millie. He had been so excited when she agreed to date him. He had kept Alear up all night raving about how perfect she was. When Dom proposed, it seemed like the happy couple would live happily ever after. But no matter how hard we wish for it, life isn't a fairy tale.

Thoughts of Reina soon followed. The adorable little whelp had been a lot like Nix in a way, almost like a little sister. To see her destroyed like she was broke his heart. He at least found solace in the fact that Sid had been there for her until the end. Alear had been unable to be there after the betrayal. He was glad she had someone.

Finally, memories of Xera flooded his mind. Her loss hit him the hardest. While he loved all of his friends, he only truly respected the snake Faunus. She had been cunning, quick-witted, and always straight-up with people. She never hid behind her words, preferring to be blunt. While this had not earned her many friends, it was one of the things Alear admired about her.

The sun was covered by clouds as rain poured down upon the city. Tears threatened to burst from the mourning wolf. He quickly willed them away, but not before Ruby noticed.

"Hey…" she said gingerly, wrapping an arm around his back, slowly rubbing. "It's okay to cry. Everyone does it. Let it all out, you'll feel better."

Alear quickly shook his head. "No. I can't…I won't, not until I've finished what we started." He noticed Ruby's worried expression. "Relax little one, I'm fine." He threw on a fake smile, for her sake. "I'll mourn them my own way, but I won't allow myself to shed tears for them, to show any weakness. Until I stop Adam, I have no right."

Ruby was going to argue further when Alear suddenly got up, extending his hand to pull her up as well. "Where are we going?" asked Ruby, accepting his hand.

"Beacon. I need to prepare their graves." Ruby nodded grimly.

**-About twenty minutes later, back at Beacon-**

Yang and the rest of WBY were searching frantically for their missing leader. She had left without warning, causing Yang's protective sister instincts to go into overdrive. Blake and Weiss were only helping because Yang wouldn't shut up otherwise. They ripped the hallways apart, ending up back at their room.

The Brawler was about to rope JNPR into the search when she spotted her sister walking toward them with Alear side by side.

A bit of anger built up inside her. She didn't like that Alear had taken her sister without telling her first. "Hey!" she said angrily, marching up to Alear. He simply walked around her, stony-faced. This only made Yang angrier. She grabbed his shoulder from behind. "I'm talking to you."

Alear stopped and slowly turned his head. His gaze was full of malice, the look of a killer gleamed in his eyes. Lightning arced around his body.

Yang went wide-eyed, feeling genuine fear. Alear was…scaring her. She wasn't afraid of much, but right now she was paralyzed. She couldn't believe the guy who was so happy last night, the guy who lost his clothes in a game of poker, the guy who happily threw Nora pancakes every morning, was scaring her.

He pulled his shoulder from Yang's grip, leaving her in shock, and walked to his room. He slammed the door behind him. Blake and Weiss shared uneasy glances. Ruby was staring at her feet; her face was filled with sorrow.

"What the hell is his problem?" asked Yang, regaining her composure.

Blake bit the tip of her thumb in contemplation. "I don't know…I've never seen him like this."

Weiss huffed. "Well he better shape up soon. If he's not careful he's going to lose all his friends." The snow themed heiress didn't know about the slaughter that was just discovered, but even so Ruby couldn't control herself. The scythe-wielder clenched her fists in anger. She had heard enough. Weiss recoiled as her partner slapped her across the face, leaving a stinging sensation. "Wha-"

"Don't say that, don't you dare! No matter what happens, I will ALWAYS be his friend!" Tears streamed down the young leader's face.

Yang quickly pulled her sister into a tight hug. Ruby resisted at first but was soon clutching desperately at Yang's jacket, sobbing deeply. "Shhhh, it's alright." She stroked the dark-haired girl's hair. "Weiss didn't mean anything by it. She was just concerned for his well-being, right Weiss?"

The heiress was quick to respond. "Um, yes. That's right. I didn't mean to insult your friendship."

Yang nodded her approval. "See? So how about we cool it on the waterworks, please?"

"Tha-That's n-not what I'm crying a-about," answered Ruby between sobs.

"Then what's the matter Rubes?" Yang wiped tears from her sister's eyes.

The rose-themed girl took a deep breath, collecting herself. She managed to stop crying. "Something terrible happened…"

"To Alear?" interrupted Blake, her ears perking up. "What's happened?"

Weiss almost vomited as Ruby described, in great detail, about the fate of Alear's friends. Yang looked like she had seen a ghost. Blake closed her eyes, trying to banish the mental images from her mind.

"He must have been a wreck…" muttered the cat Faunus.

Ruby shook her head. "He was more angry than anything else."

"I noticed," muttered Yang.

Ruby ignored her sister. "He just put on this blank expression and refused to shed a tear for them, not until he finished what they started."

"What kind of dribble is that?" said Weiss, earning a glare from Ruby.

"He said he has no right to. I think it's because they died while helping him. He must feel responsible and is punishing himself because they're dead and he's still alive."

"What a fool…" said Blake. "There's no way they followed him any way but willingly. They all knew the risks. Alear needs to stop trying to bear the burden by himself. We're here for him…I'm here for him…whether he likes it or not." Her amber eyes held a determined gleam.

At that moment Alear came out of his room holding a shovel in one hand and a filled picture frame in the other. He turned and walked the opposite direction as them.

"Where's he going with a shovel?" asked a clueless Yang.

Fortunately Ruby had the answers. "Ozpin is letting him handle the burials, by request. Alear said, "We took care of our own," Or something like that."

Blake nodded in understanding. "It's just how they were. They were the closest thing to family they had, to each other. Sure he still has us, but to lose so many people at once…I can't even imagine the devastation it's caused on his heart."

"We should help him then," suggested Yang.

Blake shook her head. "No, this is something he has to do alone."

"Didn't you just say he needs to stop bearing this burden alone?" pointed out Weiss.

"Yes, but this is different. Leave him this last act. It's the only way he knows how to grieve." She started walking the way Alear went.

"Where are you going?" asked Ruby.

"I said he needs to bury them alone. That doesn't mean he has to be alone for the funeral. Get JNPR would you? All of his friends should be there for him." Blake left before getting a response.

**-With Alear at Beacon Cliff-**

His hair clung to his face as he shoved the shovel into the dirt, dumping it into a pile next to the slow forming grave. The rain had made the ground moist, but luckily it hasn't turned into mud yet. That would have made this even more difficult for the wolf Faunus. He remained expressionless, throwing all his pain behind a wall in his mind.

True to his word, Ozpin arrived with materials for the burial, including the remains, and then quickly left after giving his condolences. Even Goodwitch, who had given him nothing but uneasy glances since he arrived at Beacon, had muttered an apology before exiting with the Headmaster.

Blake arrived as he finished digging the last grave, sitting a respectful distance away on the grass in silence. She watched as Alear placed his friends into their respective coffins. After a moment's thought he placed Dom and Millie, the two lovers, in the same coffin.

"_They'd want to be together, even in death," _He thought somberly. He lowered the coffins into place and replaced the dirt over top of his friends' eternal resting place. His emotions flared up again. He dug his nails into his palm to keep them in check.

He placed the tombstones at the head of each of the horizontal graves, inscribing their names with lightning from his fingertips. Despite being close, he didn't know any of their birthdays or his own for that matter, and decided that they were all probably about seventeen. He marked the stones appropriately as the rest of the gang arrived. Nix and JNPR in specific were giving him sympathetic looks, having just been caught up to speed.

Alear stopped at Xera's last. On her tombstone he wrote a special message. "Bearer of my eternal respect."

He gazed down at his friends, his heart in his throat. "I'm gonna miss you guys…" He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his remaining friends. They were all giving him warm smiles, trying to comfort him. The rain stopped and the sun emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating the dreary scene. A ghost of a smile was all he could manage to do in return to his friends.

Blake pulled her wolf into a tight embrace that he gladly returned. Nobody had the courage to say anything. Even Nix who usually was a chatterbox around Alear was at a loss for words.

Alear ended the embrace, moving a stone slab, courtesy of Ozpin, in front of the five horizontal graves. He placed it in the center, ending up in front of Xera's grave. He grabbed the picture frame and placed it gently on the slab. Everyone looked over his shoulder to get a better view. The picture showed a recent photo, probably taken just before his coma, of a happy Alear, wolf ears hanging lazily to the side, surrounded by his friends. They all had their arms wrapped around each others' backs. They all looked like they couldn't be happier.

It was a good picture but the right edge of it was ripped, cutting of a seventh person from view. No one decided to comment on that.

That's when Alear spoke his goodbyes. "Even though our futures now differ, our pasts will be forever intertwined. I will never forget the times we've shared, good or bad. No matter what awaits us after this life, fret not, for you shall all be together. Let us honor your silent sacrifice; treat you as the heroes that you were. May I one day join you in your eternal slumber."

Pyrrha wiped her eyes. "That was beautiful Alear." The others nodded their agreement.

He responded by taking a deep breath and putting on a small smile. "Come on guys, let's go. Xera would never forgive me whenever I would wake her up," he joked.

**-At Adam's underground compound-**

The bull Faunus was overseeing the last of the leaving airships when he heard footsteps approaching. It was a young teen with short, bright orange hair. "Is it done?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Yes, sir." The teen took a knee. "The traitors have been eliminated. I even left him a little message to remind him of his foolishness."

Adam smirked. "Very good. That should make him a little more hesitant to meddle with our operations."

"Would you like me to kill him as well?"

Adam thought a moment, considering it. "Hmm, no. He is not worth the effort. I'm sure he'll come find us eventually and when he does you will put him down like the dog he is, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"That reminds me, Ashura. How are you enjoying your new power?"

Ashura smiled deeply and let fire dance between his clawed fingers. "Very much so. None of those traitorous scum ever stood a chance."

Adam laughed before sighing deeply. He picked up a Dust crystal from a nearby container and held it up in the air in front of him. "Oh the things Dust can do."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Hey there guys. Sorry for the late upload. I was catching up with a friend I haven't seen for a while and kind of lost track of time haha my bad. Anyways, this chapter was a little rushed so I apologize for any grammatical errors there might be, and hopefully it's not any worse than my usual quality of writing. Expect the next chapter to be out soon! I plan to start on it right away ^-^**

"And then, I raised my weapon and sliced its head clean off, leaving the rest of the pack to retreat in fear!"

Professor Port was going on another rant about how he was a spectacular huntsman. Weiss and Blake studiously scribbled down notes, writing down every detail. Yang had dozed off and Ruby was busy waging a thumb war against Alear in the uppermost seats in the room.

It had only been a few days but Alear was already feeling better, bonding and growing closer with his friends at Beacon, especially Ruby. The duo had become much like kindred spirits after she helped him through the traumatic experience a few days prior. An unspoken bond now connected them.

Weiss scowled up at them. They should be paying attention to class! Her expression softened when she felt a small hand on her forearm. It belonged to Nix. A curious look was on her face. Weiss blushed at the contact, turning back to her furious scribbling. The illusionist took the opportunity to scoot closer to the heiress.

Nix placed her hand on Weiss's knee, causing her to tense up as Nix moved her mouth next to her ear. "You know, we should hang out sometime," she whispered.

Weiss's face was red hot as she tried to ignore the sensations spreading throughout her body. She just wanted to continue taking notes, but Nix had other plans. The illusionist slowly starting tracing her fingers along the heiress's thigh, causing Weiss to panic on the inside. She tried to ignore the feeling, not wanting to cause a scene, as Nix's finger moved closer and closer to her private area. Just as Nix was about to reach her prize, Professor Port gave Weiss an excuse to break the contact without causing a ruckus.

"Does anyone have any questions?" His bushy eyebrows twitched as he asked this.

Weiss immediately jumped at the opportunity, literally. "Yes, sir!" Her sudden outburst startled the many students who had been sleeping prior to her exclamation. Blake raised a curious eyebrow, donning a small smile after seeing Nix's facial expression. The illusionist winked at Blake, telling the cat Faunus all she needed to know. She had noticed Nix steadily increasing her advances toward the cold heiress.

"Well?" asked the Professor. "What is it?"

"Um…" Weiss paused, realizing she'd have to make something up. "I…just wanted to say…that you're an amazing huntsman." She slowly nodded to herself. "Yea that's it," she muttered. "Hopefully we can all aspire to be like you one day." She could hear Ruby and Alear laughing at her, much to her irritation, but she kept her composure. It was something she had been forced to learn, growing up the way she did. An heiress wasn't allowed to lose her cool. She must be in complete control of herself at all times.

Port didn't seem to notice the laughter and straightened his posture at the praise. Nix took advantage of the situation, sliding her hand under Weiss's skirt and pinching her ass, earning a jump and a yelp.

"Are you alright Ms. Schnee?" asked Professor Port through his glorious, bushy moustache.

She quickly slammed back down into her seat, eyes downcast. "Yes sir."

Nix planned to enjoy herself further, but Port interrupted her.

"Ms. Nix, Mr. Meerin," he started, interrupting Alear's thumb war as well. "Ozpin would like to see you in his office, now. You can get the notes from a classmate."

Nix nodded and swung her hips seductively as she walked away, gluing Weiss's eyes to the sight. She could feel her body growing hotter the longer she stared. She swiftly snapped out of her stupor when Alear made his way out of the room as well, leaving behind a pouting Ruby. She moved in a blur next to Weiss, needing something to do since she no longer had a thumb war partner.

"What's the matter with you?" asked the young scythe-wielder.

"N-Nothing. What makes you say think something's wrong?"

"You're face is as red as my cloak," stated Ruby matter-of-factly.

Weiss smacked her head against the table, letting out a groan. "I think I'm in love."

**-With Alear and Nix-**

"So you're totally trying to fuck Weiss, right?"

Nix feigned innocence before growing a sinister smile. "Maybe. Or maybe I want something more than that."

Alear chuckled. "Is little Nix in love?"

Nix scoffed. her heart racing slightly at the thought of Weiss. "Please, I'm just curious as to what a relationship is like."

Alear wrapped his arm around her shoulder, much like a brother watching over a sibling. "You haven't been in a relationship before have you?" he asked gingerly. She nodded, a little bummed. "Well, you've never been one to back away from a challenge. Don't worry, I'm here if you have ANY questions," he said while wriggling his eyebrows.

She punched his arm playfully. "I know about THAT. Just because I haven't been in a relationship doesn't mean I'm a virgin."

"Hmm, valid point. Heh if you're anything like your sister, well…let's just say I feel bad for Weiss."

"Ew! Ew! Ew! Don't tell me that!" She was horrified at the thought of her sister's sex life. Alear almost collapsed from laughter. She pushed him away as they reached Ozpin's office. Alear rapped on the door with his knuckle.

"Come in," called Ozpin from within.

Upon entering, they sat in two chairs placed in front of the Headmaster's desk. Goodwitch stood to his left.

"We do something wrong?" asked Alear bluntly.

"No, nothing of the sort. In fact, I brought you two here to finalize the details of your first mission." Nix leaned forward in her chair, anxious to hear about their assignment. Ozpin placed a small, metal device on the center of his desk. Goodwitch tapped a few buttons on her scroll. The device activated with a small hum. A blue light shone from the center of the device, projecting a detailed assortment of pictures and reports on something called "The Dust Gulch." It appeared to a mining operation.

Recognition flowed through Alear as he looked upon the scattered images.

"This…" muttered Alear. "This is where I was born…where I was enslaved."

Ozpin and Goodwitch shared a concerned look. Nix looked mildly shocked.

"Interesting," replied the Headmaster. "This is the site of a recently restarted Dust mining operation. After some investigation, we discovered it's being headed by the White Fang." The device showed images of White Fang guards patrolling on top of the walls of the compound; some were pushing prisoners toward the mines. "They're using slave labor, human and Faunus alike."

'_This is what Xera must've been talking about…" _thought Alear.

"Who's this investigator of yours?" asked Nix.

Ozpin gave them a strange smile. "A dusty old crow." This only seemed to confuse Nix. "Don't worry, he's a trusted friend. His intel is reliable." She reluctantly nodded her acceptance.

Glynda cleared her throat. "We need you to enter this compound, find out where their sending the Dust, why they need it, and shut down their operation if possible. Your top priority, however, is information about the Dust. Terrorists gathering large amounts of it is never good."

"Sounds simple enough," replied Alear.

"Yes, well we'll see." Glynda pushed another button on her scroll. The image changed to a stern looking, middle aged man. Stats such as age, name, and gender were to the right of the picture. A small bio was underneath.

Glynda began to read these aloud. "Overseer Geralt Nomant, age 47. Gender: human male. Eye and hair color: brown. Many years ago Geralt was an influential overseer at a secluded Schnee Dust Company Dust mining operation. He reigned for over two decades, enslaving countless Faunus, and forcing them to work in his mines. When these facts became known to the public, the Schnee Dust Company denied all ties to the operation and publically condemned these actions. Shortly after, the White Fang raided the camp, along with several others, and freed the slaves. The staff was mostly killed, but a rare few were captured alive. Geralt was among the captured and it was assumed he was their prisoner, until recently. It's now known that he is a free man and is currently collaborating with the terrorist organization. He is now overseer, once again, at the Dust Gulch."

The hologram ended. The blue light faded back into the device. Alear was gripping the arms of his chair so hard they almost splintered.

"Is your mission understood?" asked Ozpin.

"When do we leave?" replied Alear swiftly.

"Within the hour, but first, Glynda would like to set up a precaution."

Glynda stood in front of the two students. "I'd like to set up a glyph on the two of you. This glyph will allow us to watch your progress from a first person point of view that we can access from our scrolls. We'll be able to hear and see everything that you do."

Nix frowned, not liking the idea of being monitored. "When exactly will these glyphs be removed?"

"Upon your return to Beacon of course." The blonde teacher pushed her glasses up on her face. "These glyphs are for purely academic reasons. We have no interest in your personal lives."

Nix looked unconvinced, but shrugged it off. Alear silently nodded.

Ozpin stood up, clutching his cane. "I'm glad that's understood. You will depart in exactly one hour. I suggest you ready yourselves and report to the docks. Ms. Goodwitch will cast the glyphs upon your arrival." The two students began to exit the office. "Oh, and one more thing. The information you're looking for will most likely be in the Overseer's office. Do take care when dealing with him. I hear he's not without skill."

Alear left without a word with Nix close behind. He looked pissed.

Nix grabbed his hand, bringing him to a stop. "Hey, you alright?"

"I will be once I rip that bastard's throat out." Alear pressed on.

"That's kind of morbid don't you think? What do you have against him?" replied Nix. He didn't answer.

They walked back to the room in silence, turning their backs to each other as they changed into their combat gear.

Team RWBY decided to pay a visit at the worst possible time. They burst into the room while the two were in the middle of changing. Nix had just finished putting on her leggings with only a bra covering her B-cups. Alear wore only his pants.

While Yang and a more subtle Blake admired his chest, Ruby threw her hood over her eyes. Weiss was embarrassed but couldn't help but stare at Nix's partially uncovered form, much to the illusionist's delight.

The partners looked at the four newcomers. "Sup?" they said nonchalantly in unison.

"Don't mind us," said Yang with a toothy grin. She leaned against the doorframe.

Blake smacked her arm. "You do know that's MY boyfriend, right?"

Yang simply shrugged. "Real friends share don't they?" Blake rolled her eyes at her partner's antics.

Once the two were dressed Alear began looking over his weapon, sharpening the blades and loading clips for Storm Breaker.

"What are you gearing up for?" asked Ruby, pulling her hood back down.

"Got an assignment," explained the wolf Faunus. "We leave in about forty minutes or so."

"Just the two of you?!" asked Weiss incredulously.

"Yup," answered Nix. "All a part of being in the new Stealth Force."

Blake strolled over to Alear, sitting down next to him. "You weren't kidding about that?"

Alear smiled. "Nope."

Blake leaned her head down in the crook of his neck. She grabbed one of his hands in hers and flipped it so it was palm side up. She started tracing her finger along his palm. "You know, I was kind of looking forward to spending some time with you today. Maybe go on a date or something."

The wolf Faunus's grin was now ear to ear. "You know, you're cute when you're possessive." He started rubbing her ears over her bow. She purred lightly, pressing closer to him. "How about this, I'll take you out on a date when I get back, okay?"

"Make it two, and you have a deal," she said, haggling. He couldn't believe his girlfriend was trying to negotiate.

He decided to go along with it, not really caring about the extra date. It just meant more time he had to spend with his beautiful Kitty Cat. "It's a deal. I guess now I'll have to be extra careful, especially where I'm going."

Blake looked up, meeting his eyes. "What do you mean?

"I'm returning to my birthplace; the last place I saw my mother." His eyes grew a little distant, remembering things he'd rather forget. "I already know my…father…is there." He said the word with disgust.

Weiss frowned, remembering the night he shared his past. "I'm sorry. If it wasn't for my father, your mother wouldn't have suffered at this overseer's hands." Alear's face contorted as he stifled a laugh. Weiss grew irritated at the response. "What's so funny?" she snapped.

"Don't get all mushy on me, Ice Queen," he said. "Sure my birth was unwanted and forced, but I wouldn't be here if it happened any other way." He kissed Blake on the temple. "And most importantly, I wouldn't have met my Kitty." Blake buried her head into his shoulder, trying to hide her blush as the girls let out a collective "Awww."

The cat Faunus suddenly whispered in Alear's ear. "Trying to butter me up, Puppy Dog?" He responded by giving her shapely bottom a squeeze. Her startled response was adorable.

The wolf Faunus glanced at Ruby. "And of course I wouldn't have met my little, red, cookie devouring friend here."

Ruby stood proudly at his comments. "Your dang right!"

"Or even Ms. Ice Queen over there." The heiress stiffened, expecting harsh statements. This, however, was not what came from Alear. "Despite the rough start, I truly value our friendship. You might be a little cold on the surface, but deep down you have a warm heart. That is hard to find nowadays. You're always there for people when it counts. I respect that."

Weiss turned her head away in a fake scoff. "I don't know what you're talking about." She waited a moment before giggling. "Thank you. I guess you're not so bad either."

Alear wasn't done there. He next turned to Yang. "Don't think I've forgotten about the famous Blonde Brawler. You always protect the people closest to you and quite frankly, you're one of the coolest people I know." They fist bumped. Yang smirked, finding new-found admiration for the wolf. "You ever need anything, feel free to ask." She nodded with a wide grin. "That goes for everyone. You were all there for me when I needed it, now I intend to return the favor."

Nix slyly stepped toward Weiss, grabbing her hand. "You know, I appreciate you too," Nix whispered in the heiress's ear. Weiss could no longer take all this ceaseless flirting. Before her nerves could get the better of her, she rapidly snaked her arm around the illusionist's waist, pulling her into a kiss. Nix immediately leaned into it, lashing out with her tongue experimentally. Weiss wouldn't have hesitated to allow her deeper access to her mouth, but she remembered where she was when she heard a shutter noise from a camera.

Weiss quickly pulled away, slowly filling with rage. She was desperate to find the source of the noise.

Yang smiled innocently as she tried to discreetly put her scroll back in her pocket.

"Yang Xiao Long! Delete that photo!" The two proceeded to run around the room, Weiss chasing Yang. The Brawler bolted out of the room with a pissed off heiress on her tail.

Nix look quite pleased with herself. Ruby stood there gawking.

"Damn Nix," said Alear, breaking the silence. He stood up, a look of disbelief on his face. "You just kissed the Schnee heiress…" He raised his hand. "Gimme some." She gladly high-fived him while Blake rolled her eyes.

"Something tells me her father isn't going to approve," giggled Nix.

"What?" gasped Alear with feigned shock. "You're telling me the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company won't approve of a former member of a criminal organization that's currently waging a full-scale war against them?!"

"Don't be so dramatic," said Blake as Nix's laugh spread like an infection.

"Her dad can suck one for all I care. I have an heiress to woo." She was incredibly happy at the sudden turn of events.

Alear checked his scroll. "Oh shit, we gotta go! We got about ten minutes to get to the docks."

Nix grabbed a small case from her bed and took off out the door; her multi-colored hair flowed behind her. Alear strapped Storm Breaker to his back and followed his partner, giving Blake one last smile and ruffling Ruby's hair as he passed her.

Ruby plopped down next to Blake. "Don't worry about him. He'll be fine."

The cat Faunus looked out the window at the setting sun. "He better be, he owes me two dates."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ozpin and Glynda waited by the airships as the partners arrived.

"Running a little late, Mr. Meerin?" asked Goodwitch with clear irritation.

Alear rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah well, you know me." Goodwitch didn't look amused as she pushed her glasses up on her face.

The blonde teacher stepped in front of the two. "Well let's get down to business. Hold still while I cast the glyph. It could be dangerous otherwise." She started moving her arms in a rhythmic pattern. "You may be blinded temporarily." With that she cast the glyph. A purple burst of aura hit the two students in the eyes. Nix fell to her knees from the impact while Alear staggered backwards with a grunt. "Blink a few times and it should get rid of the blindness."

They complied and immediately Alear's vision cleared. Nix let out a relieved sigh a moment later.

Alear rubbed his eyes. "Something tells me that that glyph is still experimental."

Goodwitch crossed her arms. "It worked didn't it?" Her voice was stern.

"Fair enough…"

Ozpin cleared his throat. "We do have a time restriction." Everyone gave him their undivided attention. "It is roughly seven-thirty now, and with the travel time you will arrive at the objective around ten. The airship will drop you off in a nearby clearing and will await your return at the same location. It will be leaving shortly after midnight." Ozpin placed both his hands on the top of his cane. "I suggest you exercise caution. The airship will be leaving with or without you. Any stragglers will be left to fend for themselves until midnight of the next day. It's too dangerous for the airship to be near their compound for long."

The two nodded their acceptance. They had no qualms with Ozpin's terms. They were used to rules such as this. If you didn't pull your weight in the White Fang, you got left behind.

"That is all," stated the Headmaster. "Your mission starts now. Farewell, Mr. Meerin, Ms. Nix." The partners watched as Ozpin strolled back to Beacon. Goodwitch followed on his heels, parting with a nod.

Nix waited until the staff was gone and leaped excitedly in front of the airship, hands on her hips. "Alright Wolfy! Are you ready for our first official assignment?"

"Hmph, please. I'm always ready," he said with a grin that quickly faded. "Time to reunite with dear old dad.

**-Later that night, aboard the airship-**

"Nomant?!" exclaimed Nix. They had been flying for a while now and were quickly nearing their destination. "Your father, the overseer who raped your mother, is Geralt Nomant?!"

Alear sighed and nodded. He knew Ozpin was listening but didn't care. The Headmaster seemed to be able to find out anything he wished to know anyway, and besides, Alear had nothing to hide. "So you can see why I was angry earlier. I finally have a chance to repay that son of a bitch for all the misery he's caused. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even find out where he's hidden away my mother…if's she still alive."

Nix hated it when he talked like this, like he was expecting the worst. "Don't give up hope. We're sure to find something. She couldn't have just vanished."

He shrugged in response. "It's been eleven years, Nix. Anything could have happened by now. Oh and if you're listening, Ozpin, don't worry. I won't let this get in the way of our mission. I understand personal issues are secondary."

Nix cursed, remembering they were being watched. "Why do we even have to have these glyphs anyways?"

"Probably because we used to be in a terrorist organization," he said with a chuckle. "You can't blame them for being cautious."

Nix puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, completing her pouting look. "Still sucks…" she muttered.

Suddenly the pilot opened the door to the cockpit. "We'll be at the LZ in a few minutes. I suggest you get ready to jump."

The two stood up, holding onto the railing to balance themselves as the airship lowered itself close enough to the ground so they could jump without harm.

"Alright you're clear! Go! Go! Go!"

The partners smiled at each other before leaping from the now opened hatch of the ship. They both rolled as they landed, transferring the impact from their legs. Alear immediately scanned his surroundings.

They had been dropped in a small clearing in the center of a forest, hidden from view by the tall, lush trees. The mining complex could be seen in the distance, but just barely.

Nix adjusted the case on her back and the two pressed on, eager to reach their objective. They ran most of the way, slowing down to a crawl as they got closer.

They ended up on a tall ridge overlooking the mining facility. Alear unstrapped Storm Breaker and set up a small tripod, attaching the rifle to it. He peered through the scope, scanning the perimeter while Nix waited patiently. Alear was astounded by the amount of defenses they had placed.

"What are we dealing with?" asked the little illusionist.

Alear took a moment to respond. "Mounted turrets, likely automated. Thick stone walls, spotlights, and a whole lot of grunts too." The compound could almost be described as a small fortress. The turrets were on each corner of the walls with a guard stationed at each one, adding up to a total of four. "We're going to have to do something about those guns. They'll rip us to shreds otherwise."

"Can't you just destroy the power sources?" suggested Nix.

"Already working on it. Just…need…to…found them!" he finished excitedly. "There's a power box on the wall of each guard tower with cables running to the turrets. They're likely only powering the guns."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not exactly," he said with a sly smile. "It's actually kind of a good thing. That means we can disable the towers without drawing attention. I just have to take down the guard on each tower in rapid succession."

Nix frowned. "I feel like there's a problem you're not telling me about."

The wolf Faunus sighed. "The complex is powered by Dust, like everything else."

"So?"

Alear rolled his eyes. "So if I hit the Dust inside the power boxes then they will more than likely explode, and if it explodes then our cover will be blown sky high."

"So what are you going to do then?"

Alear smiled strangely. "Hope I don't miss?"

Nix shook her head in disbelief. "You're something else. If this goes tits-ups, don't blame me."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied while screwing a silencer to the barrel of Storm Breaker. "Once I take out the guards and turrets, get down there, avoid the spotlights, and slip inside." Nix nodded. "I'll stay here for the time being and provide over-watch. I'll join you once you enter one of the buildings."

"Which building?"

Alear shrugged. "It doesn't matter really. I'll simply watch and follow you in whichever one you choose."

Nix motioned him to continue, giving a small bow. "Whenever you're ready."

Alear took a deep breath, placing his crosshairs directly on the first watchman's head. He pulled the trigger and a bullet smashed into the grunt's head, dropping him like a pile of sandbags. He rapidly switched to the next one, shooting this guard in the heart.

The next he tried to shoot in the head as well but the grunt suddenly jerked his head and caught the bullet in the throat instead. Alear couldn't hear, but he was sure he was gurgling as the blood poured from the hole in his throat. Hopefully there wasn't anyone else in the immediate vicinity, as they would hear the guard's dying moments.

Now he focused on the last guard. This one he decided to shoot in both the head and the heart. Alear hadn't been in a real combat situation since his days with the White Fang, and the last shot had made him start to worry that his skills were beginning to dull; he had intended another headshot but missed. He wanted to keep his skills sharp.

He was not disappointed with himself. He easily completed the double shot, hitting both his marks with only a fraction of a second between the two bullets impact. The guard was dead before he hit the ground.

Nix nodded, looking impressed. "Nice shooting, Wolfy."

A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth from the praise. "Thanks, now let's see if I can manage to not fuck up this entire operation." With that, he fired at the first power box. Nix trusted her partner's abilities, but she couldn't help but flinch as he fired, expecting an explosion.

Nothing happened, other than the turret powering down silently.

Alear let out an audible sigh of relief. "Phew," he said with a whistle. "Kind of surprised that worked." Nix shot him a look that said 'Seriously?' He pretended not to notice. "Alrighty then, three more." Nix covered her eyes with her hands as Alear shot the other boxes.

After a moment of silence, Nix peeked through her fingers. "Huh, looks good."

Alear pulled the clip out of Storm Breaker. He had fired nine shots and his clip held fifteen, leaving him with six more shots in the clip. He decided not to reload and placed the used clip back into the rifle. "You better get down there. We have a deadline to meet."

"Okie dokie," she said cheerfully before her eyes turned white. She vanished in a shimmer of light, leaving the wolf Faunus alone. Alear would never get over how similar Nix was to her sister. They even had the same semblance, which pretty much never happened. Usually a semblance is unique to only one person, but for some reason both Neo and Nix shared one. To be honest, Alear was a little afraid of the two. Their semblance could manipulate minds and alter someone's reality. That kind of power would make any normal person frightened. Now it appeared she could teleport short distances as well. Sure Alear's semblance could be scary but you could at least see his attacks coming. His semblance was the ability to supercharge molecules in the air and releasing the energy stored in the form of lightning.

Alear dismissed these thoughts and focused on the recently reappeared Nix through his scope. He needed to protect his partner.

Nix stealthily moved to the nearest wall of the compound, avoiding the spotlights. She crouched along the wall until she came across a small door at the base of one of the watchtowers. She assumed it was used to dispose of garbage, considering the horrible smell. The entire surrounding area reeked of trash.

Nix held her breath and tried opening the door, finding it locked. Luckily, lock picking was a common skill to learn in the White Fang. Nix pulled a hairpin out of her pocket, something that she had learned to always carry with her for things like this, and bent it until it was straight. She inserted one end into the lock and had it open in less than a minute with a satisfying click from the locking mechanism.

She peeked through, finding the stone room filled with garbage bags. Nix almost gagged from the smell. Another wood door was on the other side of the room, with a staircase opposite of that. She crept inside and lightly shut the door behind her. She thought a moment, hoping the staircase led to one of the watch towers. She had an idea on how to get around, but only if a watch tower was up those stairs. Nix allowed herself to stand up straight and walked up the steps. She was extremely pleased to find out her assumption was correct. She found the dead guard and took off his Grimm mask, placing it on her own face. The top of the mask was cracked and stained with a small amount of blood from where Alear shot the man. She covered the disfiguration with the pink half of her hair.

Her idea was quite simple. If she wore the Grimm mask, the other guards would hopefully assume she was just another grunt. If they asked why she wasn't wearing the uniform then she would just say that she was a new recruit. Her face wasn't widely known to the grunts in the White Fang so she might've been able to walk around without one, but she didn't want to take any chances. She made a mock gesture toward where she knew Alear was watching and quickly returned downstairs, entering the compound.

The layout of the compound was very simplistic. It consisted of a total of fifteen identical, stone buildings with a large central structure in the center of the compound. Five of the buildings looked more like jails, while the other ten were split between Dust storage and guard barracks. The central structure looked like a small house, sticking out in striking contrast. Whoever lived in it was obviously living in comfort, despite what was going on around it. The actual Dust mines were located to the south of the compound. Several caves dotted the landscape.

No one gave Nix a second glance as she strolled through the compound, looking for a building with easy access. They were too busy moving giant mechs, Atlesian Paladins. _"How the hell did they get those?" _she thought to herself. _"Aren't those Atlas's new toys?" _She shook her head to change her focus. What she saw made her stomach churn. The guards were quite literally dragging people into the prison-like buildings, savagely beating any that resisted. The windows were barred and the doors were reinforced with steel and a padlock.

She cursed under her breath as she took another look at the tall, stone walls. Barbed wire covered the top, preventing people from climbing. She just hoped that the way she came in was usable as an exit.

Nix continued along her earthen path, finally stumbling on a building that wasn't locked. She quickly ducked inside, anxious about being outside longer than she had to.

It turned out to be one of the prison buildings, but there was something strange about this one. For one, the door was unlocked. Two, there was only one guard inside on watch yet there were several cells lining the walls of the building with what looked like a disinfecting station of some kind in the back. Finally, the only guard in the building was sleeping. His feet were propped up on a wooden table. He was leaning back in his chair, snoring soundly.

Nix quietly opened the case on her back, pulling out a bronze violin bow with a sharpened side opposite of the ribbon. She slowly walked toward the guard, one foot in front of the other. She stopped in front of the man and slowly dragged her bow across his throat.

He woke with a fright, shock becoming fear as he realized what was happening. She held a finger to her lips. "Shhhh." He responded by clutching his throat, desperately trying to keep the blood from pouring out. The chair fell on its side as the guard spasmed from blood loss. He twitched on the floor as the red liquid pooled around him, finally becoming still after a few minutes. His eyes were now glazed.

The illusionist felt no remorse for killing him. He was a slaver and deserved his fate as far as he was concerned. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was slavery. That was one of the reasons she joined her sister in the first place. She wiped the blood off her violin bow on his pants and replaced it into her case.

Nix searched the guard for his keys, plucking them from his belt before dragging his corpse to one of the cells, unlocking it and dragging his body inside along with her broken Grimm mask. It landed on his corpse with a soft thud. She would have to wait for Alear to arrive and needed to hide the body in case anyone else entered.

She was about to go clean up the blood off the floor when she saw the door begin to open. She went wide eyed and quickly ducked into the cell with the dead guard, closing the barred door behind her. She held her breath as two more guards entered the building.

"Hey, you manage to get the key to Nomant's safe?" one of them asked.

The other one flashed a winning smile and dangled an ornate key with a small, red Dust crystal embedded in the handle through the air. "Of course I got- Holy shit!" Nix tensed and started reaching for her case. "What's with all the blood?!"

The other guard laughed. "Relax, moron. It was probably just Henry having some fun with one of the prisoners again."

"Yeah…you're probably right." They both pulled up chairs to the small table and sat down, proceeding to play a game of poker.

Nix relaxed, lowering her hand back to her side. That's when she felt someone staring at her. Nix quickly turned to look at the opposite cell, locking eyes with the prisoner inside. The prisoner was a middle-aged woman with long, unkempt, dark brown hair with almost lifeless green eyes. She regarded Nix with a semi-interested expression. The illusionist quickly held her finger to her lips again, hoping the prisoner would be quiet. The woman nodded. Her hair moved slightly, revealing a set of limp animal ears. Nix couldn't determine what kind of ears they were, but it was obvious she was a Faunus. Her face was free of blemishes and the usual wrinkled texture skin takes with age. Her eyes were the only thing that gave a clue about her true age. They hid an immense pain. Her face was devoid of all hope. The woman hugged her knees and stared endlessly into the floor.

"Hey Henry!" yelled one of the guards. "You here?"

"_Shit," _thought Nix. _"If I don't do something fast then they're going to start searching for their friend." _She readied herself to use her semblance when she heard the door open once more.

"Sorry boys, just me," said a familiar voice. Nix peeked her head around the wall of her cell to get a better view.

"Who the fuck are you-" The guard was silenced as Alear jammed Shimmer into his skull. The second guard pulled a hand gun off his belt, preparing to shoot Alear. Alear quickly shot lightning from his finger tips, striking the man in the chest and stopping his heart. The wolf Faunus was cleaning blood off of Shimmer when Nix emerged from hiding. He regarded her with a small grin.

"Hello there," he said casually.

"Took you long enough to get here," Nix scowled.

"Yea well I can't teleport. I actually had to walk," he said jokingly.

"Whatever, Alear."

A gasp came from the cells. The partners both turned curiously toward the noise.

"Make a new friend?" Alear asked, amused.

"Not exactly. It's a prisoner," she replied, stepping in front of the cell to look at the woman.

"Well, let's let them out then. Throw me the keys." She complied and now he too stood in front of the cell. His gaze was turned toward the lock, focusing on his task. He opened the cell with a happy grin on his face, closing his eyes and extending his hand to greet the stranger. "Hey there, my names-"

"Alear?" the woman spoke timidly.

The wolf Faunus froze. He KNEW that voice.

**Alright well there's chapter 8 finally lol. Sorry for not uploading it sooner. Where I live is currently being blasted by a small blizzard so my internet is kind of messed up. Hope you enjoyed it, but I'd like to leave on a serious note. Monty Oum, creator of RWBY, has recently been hospitalized and is in critical care at the time of upload. It is unknown whether he will recover. I would like to ask everyone to send any positive thoughts you can. Monty is an important part of Rooster Teeth, as well as the Rooster Teeth community, I mean family. His creativity and ingenuity have personally inspired me to express myself in ways such as writing these fan fics, as it has with many others. The Rooster Teeth family wouldn't be the same without him. So please, help in any way you can. There is a fund that has been set up to help his wife, Sheena, cover the medical expenses. If you wish to donate there is a link on the Rooster Teeth site. Let us hope that he'll be okay, and wish him a speedy recovery. Thank you for your support guys.**


	10. Monty Oum, in memoriam

**Update**

**Hey guys…sorry not a chapter but I would just like to update everyone who doesn't know about Monty's status. He regrettably passed away at age 33 from an allergic reaction. His loss is devastating to many and I can't even imagine how his family must feel. I just wanted to update everyone. The world has lost a great person, both creatively and personally.**

**Chapters might be up a little later than usual. I…just need some time to process Monty's death. It's hit me pretty hard; as I'm sure it has with many others. Thank you for your understanding.**


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Hey guys. I've made a decision. While Monty's death saddens me, I've decided to continue my work in his honor. He wouldn't want his fans to be sad. He would want us to do something creative, in memory of him. I intend to do just that by continuing this story, and maybe even start another one. Every last story, chapter, and keystroke will be made in memory of that great man. May his legacy live on in us, his fans. We love you, Monty.**

Alear's gaze was frozen to the floor. There was no way it could be her. The chances were slim to none…yet he knew it was her voice. It had haunted his dreams for years, rubbing in the fact that he had no one. He slowly raised his head. His eyes grew wider than he thought was possible once he saw the prisoner's face. His heart skipped a beat. His mouth opened as he tried to speak but couldn't find the words. It was his mother.

His mom ran forward, tears streaming down her face as she pulled him into a tight embrace. "My son…my little pup," she muttered happily while tears streamed down her face. "You're all grown up."

Alear couldn't talk. He simply returned the embrace, still processing what just happened.

Nix stood there gawking. "Seriously?!"

Alear smiled lightly. "I-I know. I still don't believe it, and I'm hugging her."

His mother pulled away with a smile on her face, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm right here, guys."

"Sorry, Mom."

The older woman did her best to fix her hair and pat down her clothes before extending her hand to Nix. "Hi, I'm, well, Alear's mom. My name's Lumina."

Nix accepted the gesture and smiled. "My name's Nix. I'm Alear's partner."

Lumina cracked a sly grin and wriggled her eyebrows. "His partner huh?"

Alear face-palmed while Nix giggled. "I see where he gets his sense of humor."

"Ah, shut it," replied the wolf Faunus. He turned his attention to his mother. "She's just a friend, Mom. My girl is back at Beacon."

His mother was audibly astonished. "Beacon?! Oh, pup!" She hugged him again. "I'm so proud of you!"

He scratched his neck, beaming at the praise. "It's no big deal."

Lumina giggled. "Well I'm proud of you anyway." Her smile radiated a warm feeling that was slowly building up inside Alear. "And you better introduce me to your little girlfriend. We may not have seen each other for years, but I'd still like to meet the girl that's captured my little pup's heart"

Alear chuckled and pulled out his scroll. He pulled up the picture of Blake cuddling with a pillow and showed it to her. "This is her."

Lumina's expression softened as she looked upon the sleeping cat Faunus. "You got yourself a cutie."

Nix grinned mischievously. "It's his little Kitty Cat."

Alear gave her a death stare while lightly blushing. "It's because she's a cat Faunus."

"Oh?" giggled Lumina. "My little Pup is dating a little kitty?"

The wolf Faunus shrugged contentedly. "We're not ones for stereotypes."

Nix scoffed at his remark. "Please, you should see her around her team's pet dog, Zwei. She refuses to even come in contact with him."

"That's different!" argued Alear. Nix rolled her eyes.

His mother watched the two youths with a loving expression. She hadn't had any contact with decent people in many years. She had almost just withered away, devoid of all hope. Now that she has been reunited with her son, she felt alive again, like everything would be alright. There was something that was bothering her though.

"Why are you here?" she said, her mood dampening. The two partners looked at her confused. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy beyond words that you _are_ here, but how did you find this place? Based on your reaction to me, I assume you didn't come here on a rescue mission."

Her son nodded somberly. "We were sent here on an assignment to retrieve certain information, information that could stop the White Fang's operations. I was actually kind of hoping you could help us."

Now it was Lumina's turn to be confused. "You want my help? No offense, but I'm not exactly a fighter."

Alear shook his head. "I don't need you to fight, far from it actually. We need the location of Nomant's office. It's the most likely place we'll find what we need."

Lumina looked forlorn at the mention of the overseer. "Um…yeah. It's, uh, the small house-like building in the center of the compound. You can't miss it."

Alear placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of that bastard personally soon enough."

She frowned. "If you _have_ to kill him then fine, but don't do it out of anger. I did my best to instill good values in the six years we had together. I hope I succeeded."

Alear now felt guilty about how casually he has killed people in the past. He knew she was right and that he shouldn't kill so readily, but once he was separated from his mother and the protection of the overseer, he had no one left to help him in the second slave camp. It was either kill or be killed. There was no time to debate whether killing was right or wrong. You simply did it to survive. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

Lumina caressed his cheek. "It's alright, Pup. I just don't want you to be consumed by hatred. Never lose sight of yourself. No matter what they throw at you, you must stay strong. Can you promise me that?"

He gave her a half-hearted smile. "I promise."

"Ahem," Nix cut in. "I hate to interrupt, but we do have a deadline, Alear."

Alear sighed. "You're right." He placed Shimmer in his mother's hand. "Take this. If anyone comes through that door besides us, pour a little aura into it. The blade will emit a light afterwards, blinding them momentarily. Take this time to shove it into their hearts." Lumina nodded uncertainly.

"You may want to search the guards you just killed," suggested Nix. "I heard one of them talking about having the key to Nomant's safe. It could be worth checking out."

Alear thought a moment before smirking. "I like the way you think, Nix. We may as well rob him blind while we're here. It's not like he doesn't deserve it." He quickly retrieved the key and pocketed it. "Right, let's go"

The two exited the building with Alear giving his mother one final glance, deciding to follow the outskirts of the compound until they got closer to their objective.

"So, how was it?" asked Nix as they walked.

"How was what?"

"Seeing your mom again, what else?"

Alear's face lit up like a beacon, feeling genuinely happy. "It's amazing. To be honest, I thought the only family I had left in this world was myself. It's such a relief that I'm not alone anymore."

Nix faked offense. "Do I mean nothing to you?"

Alear rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Heh, I don't know about that," she replied, growing dismal. "The only family I have is Neo, and she's gone just as mad as Adam it seems."

The wolf Faunus wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. We're about as close to family as you can get." He smirked to himself. "In fact, I think I'm going to start calling you little Sis."

Nix's face grew hot from embarrassment. "You're taking what I said earlier about wanting you to be my older brother to heart aren't you?"

"But of course!" he said, over exaggerating his excitement.

Nix pinched her forehead. "I swear, sometimes I regret telling you that."

Alear motioned for silence and the two ducked behind some nearby shrubbery, observing the small home in the center of the compound. The wolf Faunus counted at least thirty guards outside the Overseer's home. "Well, shit. That makes our job more complicated."

Nix sucked her teeth. "That's a whole lot of man power for one guy, don't you think?"

Alear hummed. "It's definitely not normal. He must be getting paranoid about something. If I didn't know any better, I would say he knows we're here."

Nix bit her lip in thought. "Well whatever the case, I think I know how to deal with these guys." She opened the case on her back, pulling out a bronze violin and the violin bow from earlier.

Alear snorted. "What are you going to do? Play them a song?"

Nix scowled at her partner's teasing. "You're not the only one who upgraded their weapon at Beacon," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'll have you know that Dead Echo and I are now more than capable of dealing with lowly grunts, no matter how many. While we were at Beacon, I took the opportunity to enhance her with Dust. I coated the strings with it and placed a few Dust crystals inside the base for good measure." She stroked the weapon like it was her child. "Those additions should add for a nice little power boost, don't you think?"

Alear was not as sure as Nix seemed to be. "Are you sure about this? I've never seen you fight this many people by yourself before. What's your plan?"

The little illusionist gave him a mysterious smile, blinking to change the colors of her eyes. "Maybe I don't plan on fighting. I guess you'll just have to wait and see." With that, she stepped out from cover before Alear could stop her.

"Nix!" yelled the wolf Faunus in a whispered tone. She didn't give a second glance. "Shit…"

The multi-colored girl strode confidently toward the central structure, adding a sway to her hips. She carried Dead Echo in her left hand and the bow in her right. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she got closer to the guards.

One of the guards swiftly took notice. He raised his gun at her, prompting the others to follow suit. "Hold it right there, missy! State your business!"

She threw a seductive smile on her face, gently placing Dead Echo under her chin, stopping in front of the rather large man in front of her. "Relax guys and girls. I just thought you fine people would enjoy a song or two." Without waiting for a response, she began to play, bringing her bow across Dead Echo's strings.

**(Cue Crystallize by Lindsey Stirling)**

The guards were more confused than anything. They stood in shock and wonder at the spectacle. The little girl before them started dancing while playing the song, gracefully executing each move. She finished a twirl before stopping before the mass of people. Her eyes flashed a brilliant white as she used her semblance. The guards immediately were transfixed by her gaze. She had successfully gained control of their minds.

Now, Nix could make them see anything she wanted. She could conjure up any horror she wanted, make any nightmare a seemingly real experience, but she understood that not all Faunus in the White Fang were evil. Most were just weak-willed fools that were tired of being pushed around; flocking to the only group doing something against the discrimination. She wasn't a Faunus herself, but she could sympathize with their plight.

In light of this, she decided to do her best to calm them, to make them happy, even if it was only briefly. She created a world where racism didn't exist, where everyone was truly equals. Grimm were nonexistent and cities spread across the entire planet. There was truly world peace. Most of the grunts smiled and hummed softly in response to this vision. A few, probably the bad apples of the group, were a little hesitant to accept the reality, but otherwise sat there quietly.

Alear approached from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Nice job, little Sis."

"Thanks," she replied quietly. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her brow. "This is taking a lot more aura than I expected. I suggest you get in there and get what we need. I can only hold them like this for another two minutes at most."

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Don't overexert yourself." He disappeared inside the small house.

Alear found the house to be a lot nicer than anything in the rest of the compound, and it disgusted him. While his men and the slaves were living in hovels, this bastard was living in a fully furnished wood home. Bookshelves lined one of the walls and what looked like a wine cellar was down the stairs immediately right of the entrance. Despite the size, the building was only three rooms; a bathroom, a bedroom, and an office. The bath and bedroom were next to each other down a hall to the left, while the office was more toward the center of the building. The door was open already, showing it was empty.

The wolf Faunus ignored his disgust and burst into the office, rapidly shuffling through papers on the large, wood desk. A minute passed and unfortunately he had no luck. The documents he needed simply weren't there. He cursed in frustration and slammed his boot into the floorboards.

The sound rang hollow beneath his feet. Alear barely noticed it. He stomped again experimentally, listening closer. Once again the sound rang hollow. Alear cursed once more, this time in realization. "Of course that fucker would hide it underneath the floor," he muttered. Alear charged his fist with lightning and slammed it into the ground, shattering the wood floor, revealing a small compartment about the size of a nightstand. The solid, steel safe lay within.

Alear laughed in joy and quickly inserted the ornate key in the lock, popping it open in seconds. He gasped at the contents. The documents were there alright, as well as 100,000 Lien. Lien was the currency of Remnant, which were essentially plastic cards of different colors with black reader strips on the back. There were ten of these cards above the documents, each worth 10,000 a piece. The wolf Faunus rapidly placed the cards in an inside pocket on the left side of his jacket. He folded up the documents next, placing them in the inside pocket on the opposite side of his jacket after taking several pictures with his scroll in case they were damaged.

He didn't waste any time in bursting out the door. Nix had fallen to one knee out of exhaustion. "H-Hurry," she stammered out. He closed the door behind him and scooped up Nix as he ran through the crowd of guards, carrying her bridal style. She kept the illusion going long enough for them to get out of eyesight, almost blacking out from the effort.

"Hey, hey! Stay with me!" Alear yelled. She lightly hummed in response. He did his best to avoid suspicion as he pretty much raced back to where his mother waited. She was there to greet them, shutting the door as they entered.

"What's the matter with her?" asked Lumina with concern.

Alear shook his head. "Nothing to worry about, just aura exhaustion. She overexerted herself like I figured she would." He placed her on the floor, gently laying her head down. "She never does listen to my advice." He playfully flicked her forehead. "Moron." She was too spaced out to even flinch at the contact and was soon asleep.

Lumina placed a hand lovingly on Nix's forehead in a way only mothers could. "She's a little hot."

Alear grimaced. "Hopefully she'll be alright. We have to move her soon. Our ride is leaving _with or without us_ in the next forty-five minutes. It took us roughly ten minutes to walk here from the LZ."

"I doubt she'll be in any condition to walk on her own in so little time."

"Then one of us will have to carry her. We can't miss that airship."

Lumina sighed. "I really don't think that's a good idea. Isn't there anything you can do?"

Alear ran his tongue across his teeth in thought. "I could try pouring my aura into her, to kind of jump start her own, but that typically only works if there's already a small amount of aura within her." He knelt down next to his partner. "From what I can tell, I'd be surprised if she has enough right now to even heal a scraped knee."

"You'll at least try, won't you?"

"Of course," he replied. "She's kind of like a sister I never had. I won't leave her like this, not if I can help it."

Lumina smiled to herself. Her doubts about his morals were disappearing. "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head. "Just keep watch and let me know if anyone is coming. This is kind of procedure is…delicate." Lumina nodded and took up watch at a nearby window.

Alear took a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing his aura into the palms of his hands. He lowered his hands over Nix's sleeping form, hovering over her. He began transfusing his aura into the sleeping illusionist, steadily dragging his hands along the entirety of her body. He repeated the process three times before deciding he had used enough aura. She would revive soon if it worked. If not, then he would go back to his original plan of carrying her.

"Um, Alear?" said Lumina timidly. "There's somebody coming, and he is carrying a VERY large sword." There was a hint of fear to her voice. Her son cursed, unsheathing Surge from his waist. "W-Wait! Where are you going?"

Alear looked at her as if the question she asked was strange. "Well they seem to know we're in here, so I figured I would go greet them. You two stay here. Keep Shimmer in case things go south."

He exited the building without hesitation, shutting the door behind him. He walked a few feet forward, standing protectively in front of the complex. A man with short, bright orange hair greeted him. His orange-yellow eyes unsettled Alear. They almost didn't look human. The man slammed the blade of his massive sword into the ground, leaning on it with a sadistic smile on his face. Many White Fang soldiers watched from a short distance, seemingly nervous.

The man noticed Alear's worrisome face. "Oh don't worry about them. They have strict orders not to interfere. This little dance will be all ours." His voice was almost as disturbing as his eyes. It almost sent a literal shiver down the wolf Faunus's spine.

"Who are you?" asked Alear calmly. "One of Adam's lackeys?"

The man clutched his heart, his face twisting in fake anguish. "I'm hurt, Alear. Do you truly not remember me?"

Alear shrugged. "Can't say I do."

The man raised his left hand, inspecting the metal claws covering his arm up to the elbow. "That's a real shame. We used to be the best of friends." Alear stood staring at the man with a blank expression, clearly not recognizing him. The man's wicked smile grew wider. "Tell me, how did you feel after you found our friends butchered like animals?" The man practically giggled with joy at Alear's astonished reaction.

"That was you?!" Alear could feel his anger building inside him. He brandished Surge. "Why?!"

The man laughed softly. "Think for a moment. Think real hard…who am I?"

The wolf Faunus struggled to identify him. The man's identity seemed to be right on the tip of his tongue.

That's when it came to him. The same orange hair, the same-ish clothes, and that massive great sword were massive clues that previously eluded him. The eyes may be different from before but it was definitely him. The boy Alear had ripped out of the group photo of his friends now stood before him.

Alear growled out his next word. "Ashura…"


End file.
